SOUNDS OF WAR

Sounds of war, the new documentary by Yael Katzir, produced by Katzir productions and New Love Films which will also handle distribution is nearing completion.

Sounds of war takes a personal view on the Lebanon war through the eyes of world class musicians who were invited to study music on the border between Lebanon and Israel.

Sounds of war is a very touching and moving film about art during war time and the meaning of music as a way for dialogue between people.

The film is rumored to premiere in summer 2011.

This article was just published in newspapers around the world. Once again the specter of Kozo Akomoto, the terrorist who killed my grandfather returns to haunt. This saga will never end for me or for anyone who was part of that terror attack that left so many families without their loved ones.

Here's just one of many articles from the Washington Times. I chose this newspaper not because it's the longest or most inclusive but purely cause it was the first one that appeared when I googled for this new development.
I couldn't read other articles. It annoys me to much.

U.S. court fines N. Korea for terror plot
$300 million for attack in Israel
By Ashish Kumar Sen 6:35 p.m., Monday, July 19, 2010

A federal court has found North Korea guilty of aiding terrorists and has fined Pyongyang $300 million in connection with a 1972 terrorist attack in Israel.

However, it is unlikely North Korea's totalitarian regime will recognize the U.S. court's decision and pay the fine.

"North Korea's demonstrated and well-known policy to encourage, support and direct a campaign of murder against civilians amply justifies the imposition of punitive damages against it," Judge Francisco A. Besosa of the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico said in a ruling Friday.

Noting that North Korea's "budget for the export of terrorism is not known," Judge Besosa said the court would adopt the "typical punitive damages award of $300 million."

The lawsuit was filed by the family of Carmelo Calderon-Molina, a U.S. citizen who was killed in the attack at Lod Airport, now known as Ben-Gurion International Airport, in Tel Aviv.

Mr. Calderon-Molina died trying to protect a pregnant woman. Another U.S. citizen, Pablo Tirado-Ayala, was injured in the May 30, 1972, attack.

The attack was carried out by the Japanese Red Army (JRA) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) with material support from North Korea and North Korea's Cabinet General Intelligence Bureau.

Mr. Calderon-Molina and Mr. Tirado-Ayala were among a group of Puerto Ricans who had traveled to Israel on a pilgrimage of Christian religious sites.

Three JRA members, who had arrived at Lod Airport from Italy, took automatic weapons and grenades from their luggage and began shooting into the crowd at the terminal.

Twenty-six people were killed and more than 80 wounded in the attack.

Two of the terrorists were killed by self-inflicted wounds; a third, Kozo Okamoto, was overpowered by an airport employee.

During interrogations by Israeli authorities, Okamoto admitted that he and his fellow attackers were JRA members and the attack had been carried out in conjunction with the PFLP.

Okamato was convicted in an Israeli court and received a life sentence. He was freed in 1985 as part of a prisoner release, and is believed to be living in Lebanon.

Bruce Bechtol, a professor of international relations at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, served as an expert witness in the case.

"The evidence was overwhelming," Mr. Bechtol said in a phone interview. "A lot of this was about closure for the families, and accountability. This is just the beginning."

Families of dual U.S.-Israeli citizens who were killed or injured in Hezbollah attacks on Israel in 2006 also have filed a lawsuit against North Korea.

"This suit is being brought against North Korea because it built the tunnels and the underground facilities for Hezbollah that enabled it to attack Israel during the 2006 war, and because North Korea also supplied them with the rockets that they used," Mr. Bechtol said.

He said the 1972 case is important because it set a precedent, but the 2006 case is even more important because it shows that North Korea continues to be a state sponsor of terrorism.

North Korea did not defend itself in the case, and repeated attempts by The Washington Times to contact the North's mission to the United Nations in New York went unanswered on Monday.

FLOWER POWER

Just came back from Northern California where we were filming all week our new documentary: FLOWER POWER.

Filming is in high gear and we have already partnered with LUCK FILMS, Willie Nelson's production company which is very exciting.

We have also teamed up with Lati Grobman, who is executive producing this film with us. Lati Grobman's latest film - Righteous Kill was an international hit, teaming up the two mega stars- Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The two haven't worked together for many years and many fans of the two were eager to see the two of them together again and weren't disappointed.

Principal shoot of FLOWER POWER will be until November 2010 and the film is scheduled to be released in April 2011.