Al-Dura Case Is Overturned!

From Augean Stables:

Karsenty Wins Court Decision!!

More details to follow. But word from Paris is that the court dismissed charges against Philippe Karsenty today. Now we get to see how the French (and Western) MSM handle this. It’s a stunning victory for Karsenty and loss for Enderlin and France2 who initiated this case when they didn’t have to.

In order for an appeals court to reverse a decision, they must have strong evidence to the contrary.

The fact that they did indicates that their written decision will be very critical of France2. The implications of this decision are immense. We’ll be following up in the days, weeks and months to come.

I was thinking of using a title similar to what Augean Stables used, but considering the lack of attention from the media, I figured people would have no idea what I was writing about--or why it is so important.

Even in Israel, where this the importance of this story should be a appreciated, it is not getting the reaction it deserves. Israel Matzav writes:

I don't know how this has been reported elsewhere in the world, but here in Israel, I have not seen the story on any of the major newspapers' English-language websites (JPost, Haaretz and YNet) nor, more surprisingly, on Arutz Sheva. Other than the first report just after 3:00, I did not hear it on Israel Radio's 4:00 news (I was on a work call at 5:00). And the correspondent who reported from Paris was someone who - according to Yitzchak Noy, the host of the international news hour - 'is working with us on this case.' He is not Israel Radio's regular Paris correspondent. That would be Michel Zlatovsky.

The importance of this decision cannot be underestimated. Last year, Natan Sharansky wrote:

The defamation trial passed almost unnoticed in Israel, to the apparent detriment of Mr. Karsenty's case. In his ruling in favor of France 2, judge Joël Boyer five times cited the absence of any official Israeli support for Mr. Karsenty's claims as indication of their speciousness.

Israel's decision to stay on the sidelines was unfortunate because the truth always matters. The al-Dura incident wasn't the only media report to inflame passions against Israel in recent years, but it was the one with the highest profile. Moreover, if, as Mr. Karsenty and others have claimed persuasively, the al-Dura incident is part of the insidious trend in which Western media outlets allow themselves to be manipulated by dishonest and politically motivated sources (recall the Jenin "massacre" that never was, or the doctored Reuters photos from Israel's war against Hezbollah in 2006), then France 2 must be held accountable.

In a separate post, Israel Matzav addresses why the media in general has been ignoring this trial:

The bottom line is that the mainstream media outside France is ignoring the case because they know that they are guilty of the same fraud of which France 2 is guilty: They use 'Palestinian' stringers rather than their own real reporters in Judea, Samaria and Gaza and in other 'war zones' like Iraq.

Honest Reporting first addressed the problem of the media's reliance on stringers back in January 2005:

the Jerusalem Post reported that two of the largest wire services ― Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Associated Press (AP) ― have employed journalists with inappropriately close ties to the Palestinian Authority. Majida al-Batsh was a Palestinian affairs correspondent for AFP for many years, while simultaneously being on the payroll of the Palestinian Authority as a reporter for the PA's official organ, Al-Ayyam.

If this is not evidence enough of impropriety at AFP, last year Batsh announced she would actually run for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority. The Post reports:

Her colleagues claim that shortly before she joined the race [for PA president], Batsh resigned from the news agency, saying she wanted to devote her time to the election campaign. However, they add, this did not prevent her from seeking the agency's help in her campaign.

"One day she showed up and asked to use the fax machine to send some documents," reports one coworker. "The agency did not object."

Batsh isn't the only AFP reporter receiving a PA salary on the side:

One of the agency's correspondents in the Gaza Strip is Adel Zanoun, who also happens to be the chief reporter in the area for the PA's Voice of Palestine radio station.

The AFP bureau chief in Jerusalem, Patrick Anidjar, refuses to discuss the issue, saying, "I don't understand why you have to have the name of our correspondents." Pressed to give a specific answer, he says: "I don't want our correspondents' names to go into print. I don't want to answer the question. What is this, a police investigation?"

Meanwhile, Muhammad Daraghmeh ― who turns out near-daily reports from Ramallah or Jerusalem for the Associated Press ― also works for the PA's Al-Ayyam, according to the Jerusalem Post (and a pro-Palestinian site).

The overturning of the verdict against Karsenty is also an indictment against the media.
And they know it.

Note: Just keep in mind--the libel suit against Karsenty has been overturned. But that does not mean the court will rule that the film itself if a hoax. The damage done over the years by the Al-Dura incident will remain, and those with a personal interest in saying that the film is authentic will continue to do so.

Crossposted at Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: Israel and Karsenty and Al-Dura.