Pardon my French? Not this Time

Who can forget the heart-wrenching images of a boy caught in a crossfire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen? Video footage of the shootout and reports of the boy's subsequent death by an Israeli bullet received top billing in newspapers and news programs around the world. Despite Israeli calls for a thorough, independent investigation of the matter, there was the usual rush to judgment. Immediately the mythmakers went to work, using the incident to fire up the propaganda machines and rally worldwide protests against Israel. The boy, Mohammad Al-dura, became an instant martyr. Poems were published in his memory; postage stamps, bearing an image of him cuddled in his father's arms, were designed; and Time Magazine considered him a finalist for their 2000 Person of the Year award.

Now it seems the reports of his death were all a hoax.

Is anyone surprised?

Remember the massacre in Jenin, where it was first reported that 5,000 Palestian civilians were butchered by Israeli soldiers? In subsequent days, the figure mysteriously dropped to 3,000, then 1,000, then 500. In the end, the UN Report on Jenin confirmed that 52 Palestinians died, more than half of whom armed, while the Israelis lost 28 men.

All right. Care to guess who's behind the current hoax, who's now trying to stop an investigation of the incriminating video?

According to CNS News in Paris:

French state-owned television is using what some call intimidation and threatened libel lawsuits to quiet calls for an investigation of TV images that showed the alleged shooting of a Palestinian boy by Israeli soldiers in 2000.

France 2, which is state-owned, distributed the video in a 55-second story to televisions worldwide at no cost, saying it did not want to make money on such a sad incident. But the report remains suspect as journalists investigating the video have uncovered evidence that the scene was staged by actors, hours before a real gun battle took place at the site.

Philippe Karsenty, who runs a French media watchdog agency called Media-Ratings , has also examined the video and come to the conclusion that the report was fabricated.

"The report is false. I've seen the elements of France 2's report and it is clear that it is a fake," said Karsenty. "It is clear that it was staged."

Among the elements Karsenty has found that he says reveal the forgery are a director ordering retakes of scenes, ambulances appearing within two seconds in an unedited shot after a Palestinian is said to be wounded, the child hoisting himself on his elbows after he is said to be dead and no blood or bullet wounds on any of the victims.

Here's more on the story. And here.

Comments

[Ari Baronofsky]

I had no idea, thanks for pointing this out.

Hope all is well,
Ari B.