Shooting Back: Israeli occupation filmed by 100 Palestinian cameras
The Guardian’s Peter Beaumont recently filed this report on a B’Tselem initiative to equip 100 Palestinians with small video cameras to film Israeli settler and IDF abuses (thanks Homey). The story also made it to MSNBC (watch here: 2 mins 40).
Peter Beaumont speaks to Palestinians filming abuse from settlers and Israeli armed forces as part of a remarkable project called Shooting Back (5:45)
Meanwhile, more Palestinian youngsters are being shot, two more fatally, in Ni’lin: Ahmed Moussa, aged 10 and Ahmad Amirah, aged 18, as IOF abuses continue in other areas.
A surprise it was on MSNBC. Sometimes the truth makes it. Sometimes.
This has been getting a lot of press coverage here in Israel. It is an important project. The guy in charge of distributing the cameras was interviewed a few weeks ago and he said that not only do the cameras expose abuses by settlers and soldiers, which will hopefully signicantly reduce their recurrence in the long run, they also have an immediate effect of reducing violence. When there’s a camera around, potential abusers tend to either go away or act less aggressively.
While I agree about the benefits of reducing violence through the video cameras, the cameras themselves are only a short-term tool. They can not be relied upon as the sum total of policy nor a substitute for law enforcement where illegal Israeli settlers see themselves above the law. You may not be suggesting this, I’m just making the proviso. The cameras may help expose some abuses, they unfortunately can not bring the perpetrators to justice nor can they address the discriminatory legal and political system in Israel which all too often turns a blind eye.
The cameras aren’t an alternative to law enforcement. Hopefully, though, they’ll force law enforcement agencies to do their job. I mean this in two ways: for one thing, there is footage of criminal acts, so they can’t close investigations with the claim that there is insufficient evidence. Secondly, a lot of the videos that don’t have soldiers and police officers as abusers, show them as bystanders who do nothing against settler violence (and if they arrest anybody, it is usually the Palestinians or the Israeli or foreign peace activists).
Israeli news shows these videos almost daily. When the public sees what’s going on and gets angry, hopefully the policy changes will follow.
You have to draw them a picture? They didn’t already know? I find that very hard to believe.
Ressentiment, most Israelis know about incidents here and there, but I don’t think they’re aware of the extent of the situation in the territories. Now that the media here shows this footage on a daily basis, awareness is growing.
As we see towards the end of the MSNBC video where the Israeli soldiers protect the illegal settler who has camped on a Palestinian’s land, the people who need to know about this, aside from the public, already do. The videos are a useful short-term measure but can not address the institutionalized discrimination systematically practiced.
I am also an Israeli. I agree with Emanuel that the distribution of the cameras is a great weapon for exposing the evils of the occupation.
Most Israelis are totally unaware of the situation. The recent incident involving an Israeli Commander being caught in a lie received much TV and newspaper coverage, other than that most information regarding this project is found only on sites like B’Tselem and other peace sites… including the palestinian press.
This is but one more incident that demonstrates the importance of the Blogesphere as a true and honest source of the news.
One more thing – the father of the girl who shot one of the videos was “arrested” and sentenced to 100 days in jail.
http://bluebear2.blogspot.com/2008/07/shooting-back-israeli-occupation-filmed.html
Thanks, appreciate the info.