Dion Nissenbaum: Israel: Killing cameraman was justified

Dion Nissenbaum, Checkpoint Jerusalem, 14 August 2008

Four months after an Israeli tank opened fire on a Reuters crew in Gaza stationed a mile away from the tank’s position, the Israeli military has cleared itself of any wrongdoing in the chilling incident in which Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana captured his own impending death on film.

In a letter to Reuters, Israeli Brig. Gen.l Avihai Mendelblit said that the tank crew reached the “reasonable” conclusion that Shana and his soundman were “hostile” and that the camera mounted on a tripod for several minutes was “most likely” a weapon of some sort.

The contorted Israeli military conclusion drew sharp retorts from Reuters, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Foreign Press Association in Israel.

“Reuters is deeply disturbed by a conclusion that would severely curtail the freedom of the media to cover the conflict by effectively giving soldiers a free hand to kill without being sure that they were not firing on journalists,” the company said in its response to the Israeli decision to close the case without taking any action against the tank crew.

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