It’s been thirteen years since the Mohammed Al-Dura incident took place at Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip. Thirteen years since the image of a Palestinian boy, allegedly killed as a result of IDF gunfire, inflamed the Arab and Muslim world, egged on by a media only too willing to accept Palestinian claims. Thirteen years of investigating and campaigning for the truth of what really happened on that day.
[You can find out more in detail on the case, including the evidence, at the Al-Durah Project site.]
Finally, the Israeli government has released the findings of its official investigation. The committee determined that:
- The France 2 report’s central claims and accusations had no basis in the material which the station had in its possession at the time of the report:
- Contrary to the report’s claim that the boy is killed, the committee’s review of the raw footage showed that in the final scenes, which were not broadcast by France 2, the boy is seen to be alive.
- The review revealed that there is no evidence that Jamal [Al-Dura’s father] or the boy were wounded in the manner claimed in the report, and that the footage does not depict Jamal as having been badly injured. In contrast, there are numerous indications that the two were not struck by bullets at all.
- The review showed that it is highly-doubtful that bullet holes in the vicinity of the two could have had their source in fire from the Israeli position, as implied in the France 2 report.
- The report was edited and narrated in such a way as to create the misleading impression that it substantiated the claims made therein.
- Over time numerous additional inconsistencies and contradictions have come to light, and question marks have been raised regarding nearly every aspect of the report.
- The report relied entirely on the station’s local stringer, without additional evidence for his claims, and this despite the fact that there were numerous other media crews on the scene. The stringer’s various claims regarding the affair in the years since the incident have been characterized by repeated contradictions and falsehoods.
[For a recap on the Al-Dura story, view our video below:]
Referring to the many other times when Israel has been falsely accused by the media, the report concludes:
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