Photo of Palestinian Boy Kindles Debate in France (Muhammad al-Dura photo faked?)

New York Times ^ | 2/7/05 | DOREEN CARVAJAL

[TomB]

PARIS, Feb. 6 — Since the start of the second Palestinian uprising more than four years ago, many children have died in the gunfire. But it is the harrowing image of a terrified 12-year-old boy, shielded in vain by his father, that carries the iconic power of a battle flag.

Far from Gaza's street battles, in France, the scene is a picture worth a thousand arguments. Here, debate seethes about whether the televised footage of Muhammad al-Dura was genuine, misinterpreted or — as an American academic put it — artfully staged "Pallywood" theater.

Battle photographs have long been potent media weapons, and some of the most memorable war pictures have provoked questions of authenticity. At the center of this dispute is the state-run television station France 2 and its Jerusalem correspondent, Charles Enderlin, who says that the fierce criticism about the chain's exclusive footage of the boy has brought death threats against him.

(snip)

Last week, the debate gained fresh momentum after a prominent French editor and an independent television producer broke ranks in the country's media circles and wrote a cautious article in the newspaper Le Figaro, expressing some doubt about the photo's authenticity.

(snip)

Esther Schapira, a German producer in Frankfurt, said she tried unsuccessfully in preparation for her 2002 documentary to see a master copy of the tape and was astonished when France 2 did not share it because European stations commonly exchange material. "If there is nothing to hide," she said of France 2's initial reluctance, "what are they afraid of?"

[TomB]

After the "massacre at Jenin", nothing would suprise me.

It would be interesting to see the unedited tape.

[OldFriend]

The omissions in the NYSlimes story is no surprise.

From information I have read about the investigation into this story, the boy that was shown in the morgue was NOT the boy in the photograph.

There is credible information that the entire scene was staged by the photographer.

The real outrage about this act of indecency is that the photo was visible in the beheading video of Daniel Pearl.

I did not see the video, but am only reporting what I read.

[BJungNan]

Okay, what is going on with this one? A story about a photo but no photo. Who is up to speed on this story? I smell another MSM moment.

[TomB]

Actually, the article does mention both of those points. It is amazingly fair, for the Times.

[TomB]

Okay, what is going on with this one? A story about a photo but no photo. Who is up to speed on this story? I smell another MSM moment.

Actually it is a video supposedly showing a boy shot by Israelis as his father tried to protect him. For a long time is was rumored to be a setup, and now that looks to be the case. This is the incident that started the second intifada.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Who Shot Mohammed al-Dura?

[TomB]

Here's another good summary of the incident:

Muhammad Al-Dura, the poster child of the current Palestinian uprising, was not killed by IDF gunfire at Netzarim junction, according to an inquiry by the German ARD television network based on a study by Israeli physicist Nahum Shahaf. Shahaf analyzed all available unedited videotape from the area of the event, spoke with IDF soldiers and photographers who were present, and concluded: The Palestinians, in cooperation with foreign journalists and the UN, arranged a well-staged production.

[Citizen James]

Website of interest.

[TomB]

Thanks Bubba.

(I've always wanted to say that)

[TheOtherOne]

This is the incident that started the second intifada.

I thought that was Sharon's fault for visiting the Temple Mount?

[USF]

Here we go again:

Who caused the televised death of 12-year-old Mohammed al-Dura?
(see the links at the bottom of that article too)

WHO KILLED MUHAMMAD AL-DURA?

The truth about Mohamad Aldura

Probe: Famous 'martyrdom' of Palestinian boy 'staged'

[reformedliberal]

Old story. From what I recall, it was an emotionally charged pic of a young boy being sheltered by an older man and then pics of the *same* boy in the morgue (cowering and killed by evil coalition...ie:US...troops). It was used near the election to whip up BushHate(tm). Now, it appears that prominent French journos/photojournos/elites are walking away with their nostrils pinched.

There is no master tape. No raw footage. Since it can't be verified and this sort of fake has been ubiquitous, no one trusts it. Experts can usually even get a good idea of a fake from the web. If it is a really good digital fake, it has to be examined pixel by pixel. The above is from a friend who is a photographer.

AFAIK, this story died here on Nov 2. Perhaps it has been all over the EUro press. It appears that the EUro photogs are not going to authenticate it.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Also this one which is shorter in length and goes to the point of the bogus nature of the reporting on the incident and French intransigence in admitting it:

Despite Evidence, French TV Still Refuses Al-Dura Probe

[Anti-Bubba182]

lol!

[TomB]

Actually, USF, I didn't post this story to point out the al-Dura story was fabricated (although from the looks of it, there were still some who didn't know the story), but to show that the "wall of silence" around the media that is propping it up is starting to crumble.

Face it, if it made the times, it's getting bad for the journalists.

[BJungNan]

If these animals will send a kid with Downs syndrome into a crowd as a human bomb who is to say they did not shoot the kid themselves?

These people are sick, disgusting %#$%^$$ %^*%&*$% *^*^%^#*%#ARDS!!!!

[Alouette]

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel ping list.

WARNING: This is a high volume ping list

[Sir Gawain]

Duh it was faked. Old news unless you only read MSM sources. Tards.

[USF]

Sorry TomB, it was not aimed at you.

It was for background information relating to the article.