Mer Khamis, an actor in the movie, was gunned down by a masked gunman outside his theater in Jenin on Monday.The West Bank, where Mer Khamis owned the theater, has long been a volatile point of contention between the warring people. Clouds of debate and dispute surrounded the movie, even before Mer Khamis' murder.The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League voiced strong objections to the film, saying it "caricatures Israelis and ignores their true life stories of being attacked and defamed."The American Jewish Committee tried to shut down the movie from being previewed at the UN General Assembly, saying the film has a "clear political message" which portrayed Israel in a "highly negative light."Both Schnabel and distributor Harvey Weinstein, both Jewish-Americans, were forced to defend the movie against Jewish organizations who objected to the story, they told reporters: "We pride ourselves on aligning our company with films that take risks and provoke dialogue. Miral is precisely that kind of picture. We are honored that it will have its premiere at the United Nations General Assembly hall, and it saddens me that some in the Jewish community are protesting this screening and judging Miral before they have had an opportunity to see it," said Schnabel.But after the movie was released, many critics said the controversial film "may have had more impact in Mideast policy opinion forums than in cinemas."In words now filled with tragic irony, Schnabel told reporters that Miral is about four women whose lives intertwine in the starkly human search for justice, hope and reconciliation amid a world overshadowed by conflict, rage and war. Schnabel, who told reporters he never thought about the Palestinian situation until he read the book, 'Miral,' said he did not flinch away from the more tragic passages, or the less appealing behavior chronicled in the book, which may have led to the killing of Mer Khamis.Forced to defend his position in the film, Schnabel told reporters: "I love the State of Israel. I believe in it, and my film is about preserving it, not hurting it. Understanding is part of the Jewish way and Jewish people are supposed to be good listeners. But, if we don't listen to the other side, we can never have peace."Weinstein told reporters that the controversial movie is not anti-Israeli, but "a pathway to peace," and criticized critics who claimed the movie is anti-Jewish or anti-Israeli.The tragedy, of course, is that the killing of Mer Khamis will only reinforce the negativity that surrounded the film.