Yesterday, much was made of a number of photos showing an Israeli motorist hitting a “young palestinian boy” in East Jerusalem with his car.
What made the story even more juicy for the mainstream media was the identity of the driver – “settler leader” David Be’eri.
The narrative was clear: some palestinian youngsters engaging in some relatively harmless rock throwing, prompting a bloodthirsty settler leader to try and run them down with his car.
Thankfully, we have footage from the incident.
Notice:
- The boy running full pace at the car, with rock in hand
- Despite the danger to his life, the driver honking his horn and trying to swerve out of the way instead of trying to run the boy over
- The number of photographers who happened to be in place at the time of the incident, and happily snapping away during and after it
- How only one photographer tries to help the boy after he was hit
- The smashed back window of the car, which somehow never made it in to the plethora of photographs published by the mainstream media
- The boy resisting getting into the SUV, likely wanting to stick around and pose helplessly on the ground for some “after” shots
Now doesn’t this paint the incident in a whole different light?
Once again, I encourage you all, my dear readers, of not accepting anything at face value. Especially when it comes to mainstream media reports coming from this region of the world.
(hat tip: Israellycool contributor Brian of London, who respectfully decided not to post this on the Jewish Sabbath when he found out about it).
Update: Honest Reporting speaks to veteran photographer and imagery advisor David Katz, who offers four reasons why the incident “reeks of a set up.”
Update: Some more analysis here (hat tip: Walt)
Update: Compare the footage to the boy’s account:
“I had just left the Friday prayers at the neighborhood’s protest tent when I saw a car speeding towards me,” remembers Amran Mansur, 11, who was ran over by David Be’eri, chairman of the Elad Association promoting Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem.
Amran was released from the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem early on Saturday. “I couldn’t run away in time, I didn’t even have time to signal him with my hands,” he says. “It was clear he did it on purpose. I was on the sidewalk, so there’s no chance it wasn’t deliberate.”
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Amran himself speaks quite clearly and says his injuries still cause him pain. Nevertheless, he admits his memory of the event is blurry. “I saw that the two kids next to me had been injured as well and that’s the last thing I remember,” he says.
