WorldNetDaily reports that Muhammed Bakri, who wrote and directed “Jenin Jenin,” admitted that his film received funding from the Palestinian Authority, and that much of his information about alleged atrocities was inaccurate, sometimes constructed by “artistic choice.”
But Bakri, in a deposition obtained by WND, admitted he “believed” selected witnesses but didn’t check the information they provided.
“I believed the things that I’ve been told. What I did not believe was not included in the film,” said Bakri.
When asked about a scene in which it is implied Israeli troops ran over civilians, Bakri admitted to constructing the footage himself as an “artistic choice.” He also answered “no” when asked if he believed “that during the operation in Jenin, the Israeli soldiers killed people indiscriminately.”
In perhaps the most explosive element of the deposition, Bakri admitted his documentary, which was screened in theaters around the world, was financed in part by the Palestinian Authority. He said Yasser Abed Rabu, Palestinian minister of culture and information and a member of former PLO leader Yasser Arafat’s executive committee, “covered a part of the film expenses.”
Five IDF soldiers, whose images appear in the film, filed a lawsuit against Bakri. 52 Palestinians and 23 Israelis were killed fighting in the refugee camp in April, 2002.
(Hat tip: LGF)
