Culture minister: I will not allow the denigration of Israel

Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev on Wednesday praised a decision by the Yehoshua Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts' Cinema Project to direct filmmakers to avoid what she called "undermining the symbols of the state."

On her official Facebook page, Regev wrote, "I spoke with the director of the Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts' Cinema Project Giora Einy and congratulated him on the foundation's decision to advise the bodies it supports to avoid disrespecting state symbols. ... The committee I established to assess the activity of cinema foundations is aimed at, among other things, ensuring that all foundations act exactly as Giora Einy has done.

"I welcome substantive criticism and respect different and diverse opinions. Nevertheless, I will not, in the name of the freedom of expression I support, allow for the denigration of the state of Israel," Regev said

The Yehoshua Rabinovich Foundation made the announcement following the Culture Ministry's demand that the New Fund for Cinema and TV provide information about its process for approving the documentary series "Megiddo."

On Tuesday, Israel Hayom revealed that a forum of bereaved families had sent a letter to Regev demanding her ministry cease its funding of the series, which presents the human side of terrorists who murdered their relatives. In their letter, the families wrote that "the terrorists depicted in the series are depicted as 'living in matchbox-size [accommodations]' and as 'suffering,' which is unthinkable."

In a written response to the families, Regev said that although she had not seen the series, "as long as it contains offensive content, I will use the legal tools available to me to revoke the support of the ministry and the state."