Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin - June 12, 2006

Contact details hereView this bulletin online here
PA TV falsifies video of Gaza deaths
By Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook
Contact Palestinian Media Watch:
p:+972 2 625 4140e: pmw@pmw.org.il
f: +972 2 624 2803w: www.pmw.org.il

Palestinian Authority TV has been repeatedly broadcasting a falsified video
clip of the events surrounding the deaths of seven family members on the
Gaza beach on Friday. In an attempt to blame Israel's navy for the deaths,
PA TV took unrelated video of an Israeli missile boat firing at Gaza earlier
in the day and edited them into the scenes, creating the impression Israeli
responsibility.

The following is the time frame of the PA TV editing and falsification:

00 - :32 Seconds: PATV clip introduces the scene by showing an Israeli
missile boat firing on the Gaza coast. Audio of ambulance siren is added to
visual to create false impression that boat was shooting at same time as
ambulances were present.

0:32 - 1:05: Scene switches directly to the victims, creating a false
connection between the events.

1:05 - 1:09: PA TV returns to the naval vessel showing sailor with
binoculars looking at shore, again creating the false impression he is
observing the evacuation.

1:09 - 2:00: The evacuation scene continues ending with the word "Why" on
the screen only in English, indicating a foreign target audience, possibly
media.

The video of the Israeli navy was unrelated to the deaths, having been
filmed earlier in the day and had already released to the media and to the
internet by the Israeli army at 4:00 PM, an hour prior to the deaths.

Click here to see the falsified PA TV broadcast of the evacuation
www.pmw.org.il/asx/PMW_Shooting2006.asx

Comment: It should be noted that not only is the video falsified, but the
beach scene clearly backs the Israeli contention that the deaths were not
caused by an Israeli shell. Any Israeli shell would have left a giant crater
and spread sand over the entire area, as well as on the victims. There is no
crater and the beach scene is not disturbed in a way that indicates an
Israeli shell could have landed nearby.
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