Description
Raj'in (We Shall Return) is an immersive documentary capturing the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli settler militias and the state.
Co-Production of B'Tselem and NowHere Media
In collaboration with Jaber 'Ali Dababseh, Jamal Hreizat, 'Alya Mleihat
Filmed over three years, 'We Shall Return' documents Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank through the stories of over 11 Palestinian communities facing forcible transfer, using a visceral blend of 360° cinematography and raw phone and handycam footage filmed by Palestinian residents and Protective Present activists. The narrative follows three protagonists at different stages of dispossession: Jaber, who remains on his land despite continued attacks and home demolitions, 'Alya, who has endured multiple displacements; and the Hreizat family, who were forced to dismantle their home and move. By juxtaposing daily life with the violence of settler militias and Israeli forces, the film reveals a landscape and people under constant threat and a policy aimed at eliminating Palestinian existence. It is a haunting, unfiltered record of a world being erased, subtly framed by the very intimidation the film crew faced to capture this reality.
The film's Arabic title, Raj'in ('We Shall Return'), comes from graffiti sprayed by one of its protagonists, 'Alya, on her home before she was forced to leave. The phrase also appears in a poem she wrote, reflecting the concept of Sumud — Palestinian steadfastness and the determination to remain on the land despite ongoing displacement since the 1948 Nakba.