Israel has accused a French TV network of manipulating footage to make Israel look responsible for the September 2000 shooting death of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy.
The claims, made by a senior government official, go further than an official army investigation into the incident, and were rejected by the network, France 2. The army probe said it was highly unlikely that troops shot the boy, but did not rule out the possibility altogether or make any accusations against the French network.
Palestinians blamed Israeli troops for the death, and the incident -- which took place in the early days of the second Palestinian uprising against Israel -- has become a recurring symbol for Palestinians of excessive Israeli force.
Viewers around the world were shocked by footage the France 2 network aired on Sept. 30, 2000, showing a terrified Mohammed al-Dura and his father cowering in front of a wall amid a furious exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
In the France 2 report, the father gestured frantically to try to stop the shooting as the boy screamed in terror. The camera then cut to a shot of the motionless boy slumped in his father's lap. The report said the gunfire had come from nearby Israeli positions.
A group of Israeli lawyers, Israel Law Center, repeatedly petitioned the Israel Government Press Office to revoke France 2's press credentials based on this report.
Government Press Office director Danny Seaman denied the request, but in his response to the lawyers, accused the French network of manipulating the video footage and harming Israel.
"The events of that day were in fact staged by the network's cameraman in Gaza, Mr. Talal Abu Rahma," Seaman wrote in the Sept. 23 letter.
"Events could not have occurred as they were described by the network's reporter, Charles Enderlin, since they contradict the laws of physics," Seaman wrote.
This "blood libel," Seaman added, "inflamed the Arab world and led to many victims in Israel and across the world."
In an interview, Seaman said the direction from which Israeli troops were firing would not have allowed their bullets to strike the father and son.
The footage did not show the moment of the boy's death, he added.
Seaman did not say what, if any, additional evidence he had beyond the army probe seven years ago.
The Haaretz newspaper cited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office as saying it was not informed of Seaman's letter and that it was not officially authorized.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
‘DELUSIONAL’: Targeting the families of Hamas’ leaders would not push the group to change its position or to give up its demands for Palestinians, Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli aircraft on Wednesday killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.” The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The