al-Dura dossier: Update to November 19, 2007

The Karsenty Appeal Trial

“Al-Dura and the Public Secret of Middle East Journalism” (11/11/07)- Richard Landes’ article on Pajamas Media about truth and accuracy in the media’s coverage of the Middle East.

“Charles Enderlin Backtracks Again: The Al Dura Scandal Continues” (11/14/2007)- Coverage of the trial on CAMERA’s blog, Snapshots.

The al Dura Blood Libel“- (11/14/07)- Melanie Phillips’ Coverage from Paris.

Dura Discredited” (11/14/2007)- Coverage from HonestReporting’s blog, Backspin.

Al-Dura Affair: France 2 Cooks the Raw Footage” (11/15/2007)- Nidra Poller’s in-depth coverage and analysis from the trial in Paris.

“French Court Examines Al-Dura Footage” (11/15/2007)- Haaretz’s coverage of the trial.

“New Evidence Increases Suspicion of French TV Blood Libel” (11/15/2007)- Coverage from Arutz Sheva.

“French Court Sees Footage of al-Dura” (11/15/2007) – Coverage from The Jerusalem Post.

L’affaire al-Dura” (11/17/2007)- David Frum’s article in The National Post.

Controversy Over Iconic Images of Palestinian Deaths Ends Up in Court” (11/18/2007)- Coverage in UK’s The Sunday Herald.

“Karsenty Reporters Protest Dura Film” (11/19/2007)- Jerusalem Post’s coverage of the trial and the media’s reaction to it.

Raw Footage in al-Dura Case Shows Boy may not be Dead” (11/19/2007)- Article from the JTA.

Al-Dura Trial: Exclusive Reaction From the Paris Courtroom” – Youtube video of interviews in the halls of the French courthouse during the trial.

Al-Dura on pro-Palestinian sites

How the al-Dura case is used on pro-Palestinian sites-

“ 12 yr old boy SHOT DEAD in front of your eyes” (10/3/00) – An example of how al-Dura is used, and how Palestinian supporters grossly misrepresent the facts.

“Intifada Al-Aqsa” (9/1/01) – Site typical in its analysis of the causes of the intifada. The author, Edna Yaghi, speaks of the “Jewish invaders in 1948 or 1967,” and “the butcher Ariel Sharon.” The site is remarkable for its call for a “true Islamic Jihad”, and for its denunciation of Arab leaders – “Arabs blame everyone but themselves.” Contains one paragraph and photograph of al-Dura.

“Rights Group: Impartial Investigation for 2000 Killing of Muhammad Al-Dura” (10/04/07) – Coverage of human rights group Al-Mezan’s press release calling for an impartial investigation into the al-Dura affair.

Blogs and articles on al-Dura in French

Archive of French articles on al-Dura.

http://archives.desinfos.com/tarnero020616.html

http://www.guysen.com/articles.php?sid=6158

http://obs.monde.juif.free.fr/pdf/omj02.pdf

http://www.lalibre.be/article.phtml?id=11&subid=118&art_id=303473

http://debriefing.org/20839.html

http://forums.france2.fr/france2/jtfrance2/Le20heures/enquete-mohamad-

http://debriefing.org/20839.html

http://france2-aldoura.blogpremium.com/

http://www.shalomarchav.be/imprimer.php3?id_article=978

http://www.brunolussato.com/index.php?serendipity%5Baction%

http://www.crif.org/index.php?page=articles_display/

Links to French articles on al-Dura.

http://jcdurbant.blog.lemonde.fr/category/enderlin/

http://extremecentre.org/2007/10/02/al-dura-propagande-palestinienne/

Site featuring pictures of Israeli ballistics experts’ investigation.

Charles Enderlin’s blog.

http://www.israelvalley.com/news/2006/12/28/7526/israel-france

http://debriefing.org/21052.html

Opinion and analysis on al-Dura in the Press

“Ellen Horowitz on al-Dura” (10/31/06) – Three-part essay by Ellen Horowitz examining Enderlin’s claim that, “For me, it corresponded to the situation on the West Bank and Gaza”, and the crucial difference between the mission of the artist and that of the journalist.

“France: The Al-Dura Defamation Case and the End of Free Speech” (11/3/06) – A critique of the French court’s original decision and its implications for free speech.

“And only Israel is Silent” (9/11/07) – Editorial by Ben-Dror Yemini detailing the damage done to Israel by the affair, calling it “a blood libel”. In Hebrew.

“A Possible Hoax” (9/19/07) – Editorial by Joel Mowbray detailing the court case, possibility of a hoax, and urging the release of the rushes for review by the blogosphere.

“Paying for the Sins of the Sons” (9/21/07) – Part of editorial by Tom Segev, in which he calls efforts to prove a hoax “pathetic”, as if it proves the justness of the occupation.

“How Do You Say Rathergate in French” (9/25/07) – Ed Lasky writes about Hillel Halkin’s analysis of the affair.

“ All of the Children are like Yours” (10/3/07) – Editorial by Arad Nir, along the lines of the Gideon Levy piece.

“Mohammed Al-Dura Lives On” (10/7/07) – Editorial by Gideon Levy stating that it does not matter if Israel killed al-Dura, because they kill thousands of other children, so let this be the symbol.

Blog Pieces on al-Dura

Piece from Melanie Philips’ blog, written before the appeal. Chronicles the hoax, and why ‘progressives’ cannot comprehend the possibility that it may be a hoax.

Account tracking the Agence France Presse’s coverage of the al-Dura affair as part of a larger essay on bias in the AFP’s coverage of the intifada.

Podcast of interview with Richard Landes discussing the case and media accountability.

Piece discussing how today’s media refuses to deals with facts that undermine preconceived notions.

A psychoanalyst’s analysis of why James Fallows and other journalists unable to see facts as they are.

Blog with analysis links to articles about al-Dura.

Thread discussing the possibility of a Palestinian staging.

An overview, with photographs and schematic drawings of the incident.

Coverage of Karsenty’s press conference in New York a month before the appeal trial. Video of the press conference.

Brief post on Marty Peretz’s blog on whole affair.

News Articles on the al-Dura affair

“CNN.com Sunday Morning” – (9/14/03) Transcript of brief interview with Charles Enderlin, dealing with the Middle East peace process.

“ French TV Stick by Story that Fueled Palestinian Intifada” – (02/12/05) Article about Jeambar and Leconte’s findings.

“ Israel Army Seeks Footage of Shooting” – (09/17/07) Brief history of the affair and case.

“Israel Reopens Probe of Palestinian Boy’s Death” – (09/17/07) Short article about Israel’s request to turn over the footage.

“Al-Dura Footage to Air” – (09/20/07) Article on judge ordering release of footage, contains interview with Prof. Landes.

“ French Judge Orders Release of Tapes that Could Prove Whether Al-Dura was Staged” (9/20/07) – Short article by Richard Landes about French judge ordering the release of tapes.

“Video of Boy’s Death Ordered Released” – (09/21/07) Article on French court order.

“French Court Takes a Fresh Look at Intifada’s most Violently Disputed Image – (09/26/07) Article in the Forward reviewing the incident and the controversy.

(09/28/07) Article providing a good overview of those who reviewed the evidence and concluded there is doubt as to whether Israeli troops could have killed al-Dura.

“ Israel Officially Denies Responsibility for Death of al-Dura” – (10/01/07) Article about Israel officially denying responsibility for the death of al-Dura.

“ GPO Head: September 2000 Death of Gaza Child Al-Dura was Staged” (10/1/07) – Short article about GPO Head Daniel Seaman declaring al-Dura affair staged.

“Al-Dura’s Father: Israel’s Claims Ridiculous” – (10/02/07) Article quoting Jamal al-Dura, Raanan Gissin, Daniel Seaman, Ron Kitrey. And in Hebrew.

“GPO Director Says Al-Dura Film is a ‘Blood Libel’” – (10/02/07) Article on GPO head Seaman calling al-Dura film a blood libel.

(10/04/07) Article in S.F. Chronicle, with quotes by Natan Sharansky and Nachum Shai.

“Hamas Detains Mohammed al-Dura’s Dad” (11/18/07)- Coverage of Jamal al-Dura’s arrest from The Jerusalem Post.

 Articles from the trial in France by Nidra Poller

“Al-Dura Trial Takes Huge Turn” (9/19/07) – Update from France detailing French court’s order to Enderlin to release tapes, with complete text of IDF request to Enderlin.

“Dams Burst at Al-Dura Trial’ (9/20/07) – In-depth eyewitness account of trial.

“The Al-Dura Hoax” (10/2/07) – Article in Commentary.

“ Israel Officially Declares Al-Dura Footage Staged” – (10/04/07) Opinion and analysis from France, exclusive conversation with Daniel Seaman.

“ French Court Orders France 2 to Turn Over Al-Dura Rushes” – (10/04/07) Short but in-depth update, with helpful links.

Al-Dura Posts at The Augean Stables

For a general introduction to the upcoming trials and the larger stakes involved, see The Al Durah Trials: Portrait of French Culture at the Beginning of the 21st Century. In French: Procès Al-Durah : état d’esprit de la France du début du XXIe siècleFor a discussion of the raw footage shot by Talal abu Rahmeh, the France2 cameraman who alone caught the “Al Durah footage,” see Al Durah Affair I: France2 Rushes by Talal Abu Rahmeh. It was viewing these rushes that inspired the term Pallywood.For a discussion of some of the evidence surrounding the most curious thing about footage depicting a child killed by a bullet to the stomach who bled for twenty minutes in front of the cameraman — the absence of blood — see Blood? We’ve Got Some.For a discussion of the remarkable resistance to even imagining, much less accepting the “staged” hypothesis, see Al Durah as Staged: The Resistance.For a discussion of the “five scenarios” and James Fallows current position on the matter, see Fallows on al Durah: What is your Position?For a long meditation (response to Zombietime) on what’s wrong with the media that such cheap fakes get by so consistently, see Meditations on Reutersgate: What’s Going on in the MSM?.

For a discussion of the impact of Al Durah in the Arab and Muslim world, see:
Al Durah in the Arab/Muslim World: Reception and Consequences Part I

For a discussion of the toxic effect of al Durah on French (and by extension, European) society in the early 21st century (including the advent of the Arab/Muslim “street” in Europe, see: On the hidden costs of Media Error: Muhamed al Durah and the French Intifada, and now en français au site d’Alain Jean-Mairet: Les coûts cachés des erreurs des médias: Mohammed al Dura et l’intifada française.

Pretrial Musings:
Mine: Paris Thoughts: Meditations on the Eve of the Trial
Nidra Poller’s: Al Durah the Trial: Part I

On the first trial, see:

My initial reactions at: Vive la France Republicaine: Elle Vit Toujours!

Nidra Poller’s two accounts at Pajamas Media: Part I (Pre-trial thoughts), Part II (initial post-trial reaction), and Part III (blow-by-blow).

Also one of the better MSM accounts with references to others:Cybercast News Service Weighs in on Al Durah Trial

Neo-con has a number of excellent meditations on the trials and the al Durah affair:
What’s behind France2’s stance in the al Durah case?: the press and honesty
Fake but accurate: what if it’s turtles all the way down?
and more.

For those who want to read farther, go to the Introductory Essays section at the Second Draft or the exhaustive linked bibliography at Menahem Macina’s Debriefing.org.

If anyone knows of other articles, or has written reflections on this issue that they’d like posted here, please feel free to send them to me. As anyone who has read me on the topic knows, I think this story has wide-ranging and profound implications for our entire dilemma today. I welcome the thoughts of other observers and analysts. I also particularly invite French comment.

UPDATE (as of September 17, 2007):

Al Durah in the Arab/Muslim World: Reception and Consequences Part I
The raw material for Icon of Hatred.

Camera Obscura: How French TV fudged the death of Mohammed Al Durah
Linked and expanded version of the New Republic article.

Kafka in Wonderland: L’Express weighs in
L’Express’ account of the Karsenty trial. Note how Denis Jeambar, the editor, was one of the ones to see the rushes and stated shortly thereafter in a radio interview that he wanted this matter pursued. He apparently had no involvement in the selection or the education of his journalist.


Al Durah Update from Ellen Horowitz

Links to articles covering the trials.

Hizbollywood back in 2000: Al Durah Libel Makes the Rounds
Notes on a billboard put up in Hizbullah-land in Lebanon within days of the Al Durah affair emphasizing the blood libelous claim that the Israelis targeted the boy by using a picture of an Israeli shooting at the boy that came from another time and place.

Between Art and News: Ellen Horowitz on the “Higher Truth”
Profound meditation on the nature of journalism as a higher calling by Ellen Horowitz (in three parts)

Between Art and News: Duped by a Scoop
Part II.


Between Art and News, Part III: Ellen Horowitz on Enderlin as False Journalist

Part III (final).


La France… Vit-elle? Reflections on the Latest Judgment

My reflections on the Judgment against Karsenty.

Les procès Al-Durah, acte II : Portrait d’une culture de l’honneur en crise
French version of my introductory essay on the 2006 trials.

John Rosenthal on the Al Durah Trials
John Rosenthal’s text with my comments on the trials.


Third Al Durah Trial

Al Durah Affair: Interviews from Herzilya Conference
Discussion and link to Infolive’s interview with Karsenty, Seaman and Gissin on the al Durah affair that occurred after Philippe’s talk.


Signez la Petition: France2, Publiez les enregistrements secrets d’al Dura!

Sign the Petition: France2: Release the Secret Tapes!


Background on the Rushes: Interview with Jeambar and Leconte

Translation of the radio interview with Jeambar and Leconte after they saw the rushes.


Text of the Israeli Army’s Request to France2 for the Rushes

Official French version and English translation.

My Statement to the French Court: Maybe Writing will work better
Having been written out of the Judge’s evaluation of the evidence, I submit a written version to the Court of Appeal on Philippe’s behalf. Contains Enderlin’s shockingly inaccurate (dishonest?) drawing of the lines of fire.

The France 2 Rushes

There are multiple testimonies to the contents of the heavily-contested France2 tapes (aka, the “rushes”) shot on September 30, 2000. Transcript of Radio Interview with Daniel Leconte and Denis Jeambar
These two journalists — neither Jewish nor Zionist — represent the most impartial viewers, and their testimony has played significantly in subsequent demands for the rushes. Viewing, October 22, 2004; interview, November 16, 2004.
The Al Durah Case: A dramatic conclusion
Stéphane Juffa’s account (November 3) of the meeting with France2 based on reports from Luc Rosenzweig — the third journalist to see the tapes on October 22. This premature account backfired and Jeambar and Leconte withdrew from revealing publicly what they had seen (see remarks in interview).
On seeing the France2 Tapes: Testimony by Richard Landes
One of three essays I wrote about the experience of seeing the tapes for the first time (October 31, 2003 in Jerusalem). This one focuses on the astonishing pervasiveness of staging among the players in the Palestinian street, the systematic filming of fakes by Talal, the cameraman, and the utter lack of concern on the part of the journalist, Charles Enderlin, to the presence of these fakes.
Conversations with Charles Enderlin
An account of several conversations with Charles Enderlin about the al Durah affair.
France2 Tapes: Al Durah material
Discussion of the material in the France2 tapes directly concerned with the al Durah incident.

I have heard that Elisabeth Schemla, the director of an internet news service, Proche Orient Infos saw the tapes and reported that they tell us nothing of any significance. I cannot find her comments online.

Miscellaneous

Enderlin vs. Karsenty Decision (English Translation) – English translation of the court’s decision in the first Karsenty Trial (November 2006)

Timeline of Al Dura Affair: A French Media Scandal – CAMERA’s timeline to November, 2007.

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6 Responses to al-Dura dossier: Update to November 19, 2007

  1. Pingback: depotab » Blog Archiv » al-Dura dossier: Update to October 7, 2007

  2. Eliyahu says:

    RL, I see several links to posts involving Jeambar & Leconte. But I’m confused. Which link, if any, links to their op ed column in LeFigaro?? Can you help on this?

    Al-Dura: Guet-apens dans la guerre des images, Jeambar/Leconte – rl

  3. Pingback: Meditation » Blog Archive » al-Dura dossier: Update to October 7, 2007

  4. Pingback: The Eternal Life of Blood Libels Against the Jews - Conservative Choice Campaign

  5. Pingback: The Eternal Life of Blood Libels Against the Jews – New English Review

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