George Gilder in his new book "The Israel Test" talks about envy as a motivating factor. Rather than respect the Jews who have built a successful country, seeing them as worthy of emulation, the Arabs instead resent that success, see it as unjust and, well, just not right. It's more complicated than that, of course. Islam carries with it a supremacist mindset, and the Jews - like all infidels - are expected to accept a subordinate station. Yet Israel outranks them across the board - in technology and economic success, in military prowess and in social advancement. This is cognitive dissonance writ large. So, like all small minded folk who can only blame others for their failures, these Egyptians succumb to hate.

This should be marketed in Israel as comedy foreign.And sure will be good for recruiting new Mossad agents. Frankly, it must be hilarious! Don't make it serious or you'll go the way they want.

"14.4 million Egyptian liras" ... never paid with liras in cairo. eg pounds or gine are working...

Not only did Israel make significant sacrifices, as you rightly pointed out, but maintaining peaceful relations with Israel is the price we Americans are paying to the tune of nearly $3 billion per year. Yet all both Israel and the U.S. get from the Egyptians is hateful rhetoric and agitprop filled movies, which only serve to further inflame the murderous fanatics like the 9/11 hijackers.

Israeli filmmakers, which includes Arab, Christian, Druze Israelis, are allowed to work in an environment of creativity with limited censorship. They're not afraid to acknowledge human frailties or focus on topics that are taboo in the Arab/Muslim world. They also produce films for a local as well as international audience and receive funding from the EU to tell their stories. This Egyptian film was obviously approved by the censors because racism against Israel in the Arab/Muslim world is the norm and perfectly acceptable.

But isn't this 'demonizing' exactly what Americans have done over the last century: to Native Americans, Germans, Japanese, Russians, Arabs, Muslims, Africans(not to mention African-Americans!) and now to anyone who isn't born here? It's what the Chinese do to the Japanese(and vice versa), the Brits have done to the 'natives' everywhere, the Aussies to the Maori... ... and on and on. Why is this such news in Israel? It's not antisemitic--it's just plain xenophobia.

if you believe what you say, than you are the pathological liar, to yourself. Israelis have not and do not "kill and starve" palestinians as your demagogues would have you believe. Hate is poison to the brain. Do you know what the economic growth rate in the west bank is compared to egypt? can you compare the difference to gaza and come to any conclusions? Egyptians make films about hate, because it is for them high culture apparently. I feel sorry for them.

israel. let them sink in the stink of cairo dung while we progress.

Egypt has a very small middle class, and an even smaller elite. There are so many poor people, and the government is so repressive, and so cruel. What a movie Israel could make. But we are so noble, we would never do it.

I guess it is hard to hear the Truth about Israel and its' treatment of the Palestinians. Let's see in the film the author states: 1) Jet fighters bomb villages (Gaza 2009-2010), Check 2) convoys of refugees moving along the sides of the roads asking for asylum (1948, 1967, 1973), Check 3) Israeli bad guys shoving elderly Palestinian women (Intifada, and the wars mentioned above), Check 4) Israelis destroying Palestinian homes (a daily occurrence due to ILLEGAL expropriation of Palestinian land), Check I am not sure where the problem is. Calling anything that exposes the racism of the Israeli state anti-Semitic is getting very tired and old. Sounds like a good movie and I hope it makes it to the USA so I can see it. BTW, when Israel changes its ways I am sure the whole Arab world would embrace it totally.

I'm sorry: a) to myself because I was born in this country that knows nothing about accepting the other, knows nothing about peace and peacefulness, b) to Israel for being the subject of such terrible propaganda that insists on demonizing a country and a people which has been trying to do the exact opposite with my respectful Egypt, compare "The Band's Visit" to "Cousins," you'll get my point. And I want to say that there are some in Egypt, though relatively a small minority, that believe and value peace and coexistence with Israel and the Israeli people, and we can't but apologize to you for the cruelty of our country toward you, but please remember that not everyone here thinks badly of you.