HJS Event: Truth and the media in international political disputes

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON THIS EVENT

6:15-7:15pm, Wednesday 27th January 2010

Committee Room 2, House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW

To attend, please RSVP to matthew.malone@henryjacksonsociety.org

The Mohammed al-Durah incident is one of the most potent single instances of disputed imagery in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to date.  The images of the 12 year old boy cowering behind his father in the crossfire of the second intifada  were filmed by a Palestinian cameraman contracted to French channel France 2 in 2000, and broadcast shortly afterwards in a segment that appeared to show the boy getting shot, and a voice-over by a journalist - who was not present at the scene - alleging that the Israeli army was responsible for firing on the boy and his father.
 
Israel initially expressed regret for 'probably' being responsible for the boy's death, later withdrawing this statement in light of the emerging evidence and expressing regret for having hastily rushed to take responsibility before the full extent of the questions over the incident emerged.  Whilst the image of the cowering boy and his father have reached iconic status in the visual imagery of Palestinian and even Al Qaeda propaganda, the realities behind the incident quickly became the subject of an intense and sustained controversy.  Serious questions emerged over the source of the gunfire - or the very premise of the situation - and the incident became the subject of elaborate investigations, including a full scale reproduction of the incident, a military investigation that led to the IDF declaring that its personnel could not have been the source of the fatal shots, documentaries and, not least, bitterly fought lawsuits.    

Phillipe Karsenty was one of the most prominent challengers to the initial interpretation of the al-Dura incident.  Mr Karsenty was sued by France 2 for his allegations that the footage was staged, and successfully defended his allegations before the Paris Court of Appeal, winning a landmark judgement with far reaching consequences for the framework of the Middle East conflict, as well as for broader issues of war and the media in our era.  Mr Karsenty will present the very same evidence that convinced the French courts of his statements.  He will offer remarks on the relevance of this particular case and its implications in an era where the camera can be mightier than the sword, thus not only exposing the al-Dura affair to scrutiny, but also drawing out the pitfalls of modern media warfare as applicable to the broader Western experience.
By kind invitation of Baroness Cox, the Henry Jackson Society is pleased to be able to invite you to a discussion with Phillipe Karsenty, French Politician and Media Analyst. Mr Karsenty will discuss his exposition of the al-Dura affair and its implications for warfare and media bias in the 21st century.

TIME: 6:15-7:15pm

DATE: Wednesday 27th January 2010

VENUE: Committee Room 2, House of Lords, London, SW1A 0AA  

To attend, please RSVP to matthew.malone@henryjacksonsociety.org

Philippe Karsenty is a French politician and media analyst and founder of Media-Ratings, a media watchdog which monitors the media in France.  He famously queried the allegations that Israeli soldiers were responsible for killing a 12-year old Palestinian, Mohammed al-Dura, during a gun battle in Gaza in 2000.  Following Mr. Karsenty’s reporting that France 2, a French television network, had broadcast staged footage of the incident, Mr. Karsenty was sued for libel by the network. He succeeded in having a lower court judgment overturned by the Paris Court of Appeal in May 2008. France 2 has appealed the decision to the Cour de cassation, France’s highest court.  Previously a business consultant and stockbroker, in 2002 Mr Karsenty ran for Parliament on a centre-right ticket, losing to Nicolas Sarkozy. In 2008, he was elected Deputy Mayor of Neuilly.