There is precious little coverage of what ought to be considered Watergate for the international media, but yesterday brought some dramatic news. After telling the court that he had 27 minutes of video of the conflict near Netzarim junction the day that Mohammed al-Dura was supposedly killed by Israeli bullets, France 2’s Charles Enderlin produces only 18 minutes.
Last year France 2 successfully sued media critic Philippe Karsenty for libel by claiming that the al-Dura incident was staged. Now during his appeal Karsenty has apparently shifted the momentum by making the actual video shot that day the central focus of the case.
There was a dispute over how much footage was to be screened. Was the full video shown? Charles Enderlin submitted 18 minutes of footage. The judge, without any prompting from Philippe’s lawyers, asked what happened to the 27 minutes. Enderlin said on record in court that he had to manipulate some footage that was not relevant to that day. He said he transferred the footage onto DVD for the court. That was amazing. France_2_2So she asked if anyone in attendance had seen the full footage. Luc Rosenzweig was there, stood up , and said he saw a tape that was more than 20 minutes long. Richard Landes also stood up. He saw the footage at Enderlin’s office. He said the timer he saw was at least 21 minutes long. The judge basically let that issue rest, but there was serious doubt hanging over the room that the footage was tampered or doctored.
Today Charles Enderlin presented in court the “rushes†of Talal abu Rahmah which the Judge had requested from him. And he presented an edited version in which he took out at least three minutes, and several scenes that I distinctly remember seeing. In the United States that’s called tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, and perjury. In France, we’ll find out what it’s called.
The drama of today’s hearing was enhanced by the appearance of Enderlin himself, who until today had not graced this case with his presence. As the film was shown to a packed and overheated (in every sense) courtroom, Enderlin and Karsenty offered rival interpretations of the images on the screen. If Enderlin thought he would thus demonstrate the inadequacy of Karsenty’s case, he was very much mistaken. On the contrary, parts of his commentary were so absurd that the courtroom several times burst into incredulous laughter.
(h/t Yid with Lid)
Although the actual moment of Muhammad’s death wasn’t caught on film, Mr Enderlin is convinced that the boy was killed that day.
Charles Enderlin came to court personally today to defend the images shot by his trusted cameraman Talal Abu Rahma at Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip on September 30, 2000. The cameraman had declared under oath that he filmed 27 minutes of the ordeal of Mohamed al Dura and his father Jamal, pinned down by Israeli gunfire. France 2 turned over to the court a CDRom certified as an authentic copy of the raw footage, of a total duration of 18 minutes. Despite those statements the pertinent al Dura scenes contained in the rushes lasted one short minute. Nothing more.
Daled Amos has interviews with 3 observers and Philippe Karsenty.
Solomonia has an excellent round-up including pre-trial impressions.
The judge will render her decision of February 27. But whether justice will be done and Enderlin will lose his case, or not — Enderlin is very well-connected, an acquaintance of Jacques Chirac — the case illustrates the power of the media and the importance of the information war. It also illustrates the cynicism of many in the media, who understand the Palestinian fake news industry, but exploit it anyway because it provides sensational footage.
Though things sound good right now, In-Context (in an e-mail, but whose site is down right now) warned that despite how things seem right now, it’s no foregone conclusion that the judge will rule in Karsenty’s favor. Still one would have to assume that France 2’s credibility (and the credibility of everyone who relied on them) has taken a big hit.
Even though nearly every media organization covering Israel used the al-Dura image, few seem much interested in this trial. Don’t they care about their own credibility?
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
Nobody cares about this story because any time a Palestinian child is accidentally killed in the crossfire between terrorists and Israeli soldiers, it’s murder. But every time an Israeli child is killed on purpose by a terrorist, it’s “resistance”.