Tale of the tape: al Durah
It’s the old tried and true method pioneered by Richard Nixon and his trusty secretary Rose Mary Woods: if there’s incriminating evidence, erase the tape and hope for the best.
Richard Landes reports that Charles Enderlin has cut several minutes of the videotape that purports to show what happened to Mohammed al Durah on the fateful day in September of 2000 at the Netzarim junction.
In fact, only one minute of the tape as shown has any footage of al Durah at all, according to Nidra Poller, despite cameraman Talal’s original assertion that he shot a full 27 minutes of the boy and his father.
When I was in France last year for an earlier trial, I was exceedingly underwhelmed by the rules of evidence that seemed to prevail in that country. It remains to be seen how the court will react to the discrepancy here, but Landes reports the following extraordinary exchange:
Before the viewing of the rushes, there was some discussion of why there were only 18 minutes. Charles Enderlin….explained that the cassette they had saved had 27 minutes of footage, but some did not concern that day (how?), and that he had eliminated the irrelevant material. (At this point I expected the judge to say, “let us be the judge of what’s irrelevant,” but she didn’t.)
I guess Charles Enderlin, who earned the coveted title “grand reporter” in 1988, is a “grand editor” as well. At least, the court must think so, if they end up allowing him to get away with this act of “editing.”
Landes writes:
So as far as I can make out Enderlin has made a major gamble: tamper with the evidence, show people inconclusive material (the woman next to me said, “I came without making up my mind, and nothing’s clear), and hope the court doesn’t catch him.
But in so doing, he’s rendered himself extremely vulnerable. As Esther Schapira pointed out: “The time code is not the original. We have been shown secondary material.” As far as I know, it’s virtually impossible to edit this material without leaving marks of your activity.
Melanie Phillips, also at the trial, has weighed in with this incisive report. She describes some of the discrepancies in the film regarding al Durah—the suspicious missing footage, no evidence of the boy being hit, his moving an arm after supposedly being dead. She then adds the following chilling information:
But this scandal goes far beyond France 2. Soon after it transmitted the 55 seconds which showed the ”˜killing’ of Mohammed al Durah, it helpfully sent various news agencies three minutes of the footage of this incident ”“ including the frames in which the ”˜dead’ child is seen moving, but which of course it had not broadcast. For reasons which invite speculation, not one of these agencies broadcast it either.
My questions:
So why did no other news agency pick up on the discrepancy? Is it a question of blind trust of another journalist? Whatever happened to the skepticism newspeople are supposed to be known for? Does it evaporate when the “evidence” is of Israeli crimes? Is it just sloppiness, shockingly widespread (hard to believe, but possible)? Or a conspiracy of silence to protect a fellow reporter of high repute?
The sad thing is that, even today, this trial is not getting much publicity, except in the blogosphere—which, though noisy and lively, reaches only a small fraction of the public. And strangely enough, even this amount of exposure wouldn’t be occuring without the tireless efforts of a few people such as Richard Landes, who’s been working for years to publicize the facts—and even more strangely enough, without the remarkable cooperation of Charles Enderlin, who lauched the current trial by instituting a lawsuit against Karsenty and others who had criticized him and France2 for their exceedingly flawed reportage of the al Durah affair. If Enderlin had not thought he could get away with—if not murder, then false accusations/evidence of murder—he would not have sued, and the court would not have had the opportunity to study the evidence contained in the videotape.
I sincerely hope the French court will not have the same attitude as those members of the press Melanie Phillips referred to, and that the judge will look at the tape offered by Enderlin, and regard it and its strange editings with the coldly analytic eye they both deserve.
“So why did no other news agency pick up on the discrepancy?”
News agencies report what is “accurate”, even if it is
“fake, but accurate.”
From a news agency perspective, that the boy moved after he supposedly died equates to
“real, but inaccurate.”
News agencies are trying to report accurately. They cannot do less. Raison d’etre. Their honor is at stake.
Is it not rich when the corrupt sue the honest? Oh well, time is eternal and even the Rolling Bones have to know, it is not on their side. I am not holding my breath on this outcome, though there is always some small hope that the right will prevail.
Melanie Phillips is so good at what she does.
I think gcotharn nailed it.
I would be very surprised if the court found against Enderlin. The repercussions would be too huge.
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A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict — ‘Occupation 101’ presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.
The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.
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Occupation 101 features a leading list of some of the most credible Middle East scholars, historians, peace activists, journalists, and humanitarian workers.
Dr. Albert Aghazarian
Director of Public Relations at Bier Ziet University. He is the most prominent Palestinian Armenian figure — Headed press centre during Madrid conference.
Ambassador James Akins
Former (1963-1965) Attache at the US Embassy in Baghdad; Former (1973-1975) US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
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Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
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Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights – an organization of Israeli rabbis committed to defending the human rights of all people in Israel and in the territories under Israeli control.
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Former Professor of Ancient History and Biblical studies. Founder of Christians and Muslims for Peace.
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Phyllis Bennis
Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. An author, analyst, and activist on Middle East and UN issues. Helped found and co-chairs the U.S. Campaign to End Israeli Occupation.
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No doubt, serendip, the movie you are spamming here is a model of objective reporting.
Oh, they all are Neo-Neo, one wins an award for his “documentary”, one gets a Nobel Peace prize for his “documentary,, and there is this. Not only true, but rewardably true, just ask Walter Duranty! Urhm, apologies if I mis-spoke earlier. And Hollywood is fair and balanced, I am progressive, and Jimmy Carter is nice. Ok, J.C. is nice to terrorists, despots, and anti-Americans. I’ll give you that.
I just hope the Jews that are “running the world” wake up before it’s too late. Then again, if they are awake and in power, they must be suicidal. (dedicatedly tongue in cheek, no need for outrage which might otherwise be quite warranted, unless of course you are one of the suicidal Jews in power, then you can rant)
The only way the Joooos can keep running the world is if enough wingnuts fear for their existence — so these guys need Iran! and Hezbolla and Hamas! and the threat of one-nuke genocide, as long as it’s just a threat.
blechh.
Fantasy wish: that some Palestinian mothers, who lost sons in the intifadah, would now sue France2 and France, for violating their rights with false publications, and promoting hate thru false images.
When Palestinians claim to be victims of French anti-Semitism, it will be an interesting PC double-triple think to see what is PC.
What bugs me here is that the judges were not all that … disturbed… as I understand, with the edited “raw” footage. I suspect they are going through the motions and in the interest of the public good, the discrepancy will be waived. I still say that France 2 and France itself cannot afford a verdict unfavorable to Enderlin, there are too many higher truths at stake and one nasty precedent this would make.
Big Lie syndrome. Hitler understood it as the most powerful instinct bred into all people of Europe, and rode it into power. Now France 2 is riding it to the same tragic end. Enderlin is going to stick to his Big Lie, that the edited video is actually unedited, as long as it takes for the courts to buckle. Only if the court charges him with contempt can anything good come of this, and it clearly will not do so.