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Last update - 08:22 07/12/2008
ANALYSIS / Nothing justifies striking a photographer armed only with a camera
By Amos Harel
Tags: Haaretz, photographer 

One thing can be said for the Israel Defense Forces following the striking of photographer Tess Scheflan by a soldier in Hebron: The top brass quickly understood the potential damage of the incident.

Within minutes of Haaretz reporting to the military spokesman's bureau, GOC Central Command Gad Shamni, the commander of the IDF forces in the West Bank Brig. Gen. Noam Tivon and IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu had been informed. The soldiers involved were questioned by their battalion and brigade commanders, and the chief of the division headquarters, Col. Dani Twizer, went to the hospital to hear Scheflan's version of events.

And yet, it seems this incident requires reiteration of what should be obvious, even to the lowest ranks: There is no reason in the world to strike a journalist armed only with a camera, who came to Hebron to do her job. Even if the three journalists involved entered a house the army had declared a "closed military zone" (they say they were attacked after leaving the house), clearly they were not endangering anyone's life.
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Nothing justifies punching Scheflan's face and striking her head with a rifle butt, as described by Haaretz journalist Fadi Eyadat. The army said last night that the matter was under investigation. But it can already be said that the incident reflects an old problem in the territories: the enormous extent of military control with endless points of friction in which small groups of soldiers can beat or abuse civilians (usually Palestinians, sometimes Israelis).

To this must be added the feeling of soldiers and sometimes officers that the media is the enemy, working for the Palestinian side. Benayahu certainly remembers, as a military correspondent in the first intifada, the scenes of soldiers blocking camera lenses with their hands. It appears that despite all the explanatory films the IDF spokesman's bureau distributes, the prohibition against harassing journalists has not been fully inculcated.

During discussions between Haaretz and the army yesterday, the soldiers' version changed considerably. Some details, confidently reported in the first hours after the incident, turned out to be mistaken. Lies are nothing new: When a soldier gets into trouble, his comrades tend to cover for him.

The attack on Scheflan raises questions regarding what might happen when an ordinary civilian (a Palestinian, or sometimes a right-wing activist) is attacked under similar circumstances. The victim is sometimes turned into the perpetrator, without reference to what actually happened.

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      1.   Photography often tells all... 08:12  |  Esther 07/12/08
      2.   Wrong, if photographer first attacks soldier it IS justified 08:15  |  Rob 07/12/08
      3.   photographer 08:15  |  colin 07/12/08
      4.   there is no one truth there are many truths 09:23  |  Yaron Hoory 07/12/08
      5.   We all now know the camera regularly lies 09:51  |  Israeli 07/12/08
      6.   striking a photographer 10:14  |  rachel simson 07/12/08
      7.   Cameras : Shield From The Law? 10:59  |  UsedToPostHere 07/12/08
      8.   amos harel are you paid to state the obvious 11:14  |  giora 07/12/08
      9.   amos harel the way you state your case 11:23  |  giora 07/12/08
      10.   there are no settlers in gaza 11:26  |  zevulun 07/12/08
      11.   Nothing justifies striking 11:27  |  Ralph 07/12/08
      12.   amos harel compare your attitude to the soldier 11:29  |  zevulun 07/12/08
      13.   You seemed to like this last week..... 11:33  |  David Scott 07/12/08
      14.   yaron hoory 11:34  |  zevulun 07/12/08
      15.   IDF will "investigate itself" as per usual... 11:34  |  Silvienne 07/12/08
      16.   Unjustifiable, yes, but... 11:55  |  El_Justiciero 07/12/08
      17.   army hero attacks photographer 12:13  |  Simon 07/12/08
      18.   # 6 rachel 12:16  |  Axel 07/12/08
      19.   Not just photographers they hit, but loyal Jews too 12:21  |  Harvey 07/12/08
      20.   esther "photography" 12:30  |  noah 07/12/08
      21.   let us not take our eyes away from the crux of the matter 12:34  |  noam 07/12/08
      22.   silvienne western armies in africa under un 12:40  |  noam 07/12/08
      23.   Being stuck by a rifle butt.... 13:31  |  David Nigel Braham 07/12/08
      24.   Thanks for the chuckle, Noam # 21 13:51  |  Clickfool 07/12/08
      25.   justification 14:19  |  david 07/12/08
      26.   So you would use a rifle butt on a girl, David Nigel Braham? 14:28  |  Clickfool 07/12/08
      27.   For David # 25 14:31  |  Clickfool 07/12/08
      28.   clickfool chuckles yet again 15:03  |  noam 07/12/08
      29.   why is the idf frozen at the gates of gaza 15:09  |  harzion 07/12/08
      30.   amos harel wars are made up of mistakes 15:11  |  harzion 07/12/08
      31.   amos and the battle of saluki 15:15  |  harzion 07/12/08
      32.   For Noam # 28 15:32  |  Clickfool 07/12/08
      33.   Would a "leftie" IDF soldier have done the same thing...???? 15:40  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/12/08
      34.   zevelun -too young to cope- #14 16:00  |  occupation stupid 07/12/08
      35.   #29 Harzion 16:45  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/12/08
      36.   Clickfool # 27. 16:51  |  David Nigel Braham 07/12/08
      37.   Let the soldiers do their job. 16:53  |  Hermann 07/12/08
      38.   to #28, noam 17:15  |  El_Justiciero 07/12/08
      39.   The Real Crux of the Matter 18:34  |  Tzfonit 07/12/08
      40.   The shining moment for Israeli democracy 18:42  |  TOMY 07/12/08
      41.   Endangering the lives of solders is a crime 18:51  |  TOMY 07/12/08
      42.   Rob (2) 19:04  |  Magnus K. 07/12/08
      43.   The cries of selfrighteous stinks 19:08  |  TOMY 07/12/08
      44.   When truth is the enemy 19:14  |  Mark Lincoln 07/12/08
      45.   #18 Axel the old . 19:15  |  TOMY 07/12/08
      46.   #19 Harvey , do not dramatize the reality 19:18  |  TOMY 07/12/08
      47.   Sub-Culture 20:03  |  dude 07/12/08
      48.   There is one truth 20:04  |  Miriam 07/12/08
      49.   Amos, LOOK at the so-called Israel supporters here... 20:56  |  BBSNews 07/12/08
      50.   Dohh! Poor soldiers thought they were beating up a women settler 20:57  |  Kenny 07/12/08
      51.   swiss 21:09  |  strange 07/12/08
      52.   nothing justifies a photographer striking a soldier 21:26  |  ysl 07/12/08
      53.   #48 #Miriam. The TRUTH is that this lady phoptographer 21:31  |  Barbara 11 07/12/08
      54.   The story just isn`t clear unfortunately 22:19  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 07/12/08
      55.   Papparazzi: Voyeurs with cameras mugging people 22:22  |  Bennie 07/12/08
      56.   #33 Swiss , again wrong assumtions 22:24  |  TOMY 07/12/08
      57.   42Magnus We still do not know the full story 22:45  |  Rob 07/12/08
      58.   Bad PR 23:04  |  Tony Price 07/12/08
      59.   AMOS why do you refuse my posts ?? 23:26  |  Bill 07/12/08
      60.   Axel (#18) Why go so far to Korea, why not Germany 23:34  |  Gil 07/12/08
      61.   Axel (#18) Why go so far to Korea, why not Germany 23:35  |  Gil 07/12/08
      62.   Impending exit from West Bank places all with additional stress 23:38  |  Smadar 07/12/08
      63.   TOMY 46 00:07  |  Harvey 08/12/08
      64.   Blow by blow 00:08  |  Morris Valentine 08/12/08
      65.   NOT a job well done! 00:32  |  THK 08/12/08
      66.   Swiss (Dino) #33 O that is just Pathetic 00:39  |  Gil 08/12/08
      67.   Swiss (Dino) #33 O that is just Pathetic 00:40  |  Gil 08/12/08
      68.   Morris Valentine 00:41  |  Jasper 08/12/08
      69.   Unbelievable! 00:44  |  Israel 08/12/08
      70.   42Magnus We still do not know the full story (2nd try) 00:49  |  Rob 08/12/08
      71.   #51 Harvey , Israel with all its problems , is 01:02  |  TOMY 08/12/08
      72.   Too True Tzfonit 01:03  |  Mark Lincoln 08/12/08
      73.   Tzfonit 03:47  |  Jasper 08/12/08
      74.   #22, noam, did you actually say "one soldier"??? 04:34  |  Silvienne 08/12/08
      75.   Lincoln and Israel`s soul 05:17  |  SDHD 08/12/08
      76.   Photographer or activist? 05:19  |  Mark Hamil 08/12/08
      77.   How to come up with excuses for violence 05:20  |  SDHD 08/12/08
      78.   A legal eviction, not an evacuation... 06:00  |  BBSNews 08/12/08
      79.   The IDF already aplogized Rob... 06:13  |  BBSNews 08/12/08
      80.   Yes, nothing justifies striking a photographer with a camera 08:59  |  Dutch 08/12/08
      81.   STRIKING PHOTOGRAPHER 10:05  |  HM 08/12/08
      82.   # 43 the justifying by settler supporters is nauseating (2nd try 10:18  |  eric 08/12/08
      83.   # 53 Gil 10:39  |  Swiss (Dino) 08/12/08
      84.   Swiss (Dino)#83 Yes, Yes Busy Schedule 18:52  |  Gil 08/12/08
      85.   #79, BBSNews... 20:58  |  Silvienne 08/12/08
      86.   Silvienne (#85) May I suggest the American Checkpoint in Iraq 00:06  |  Gil 09/12/08
      87.   Silvienne (#85) May I suggest the American Checkpoint in Iraq 00:07  |  Gil 09/12/08
      88.   87 Gil , Re your claim is simply untrue 13:46  |  Dutch 09/12/08
      89.   #88; Sorry Dutch you seem very selective, why? 15:45  |  DOC HOLLDAY 09/12/08
      90.   #86, Gil, please don`t try that one on... 17:43  |  Silvienne 09/12/08
      91.   #89, DOC, not you as well! 17:46  |  Silvienne 09/12/08
      92.   Dutch (#88) 18:53  |  Gil 09/12/08
      93.   Dutch (#88) 19:59  |  Gil 09/12/08
      94.   #86, #87, Gil, please don`t bother with this! 22:16  |  Silvienne 09/12/08
      95.   #89, DOC, you are better than this! 22:21  |  Silvienne 09/12/08
      96.   #90, Gil, and that`s why we saw on TV... 22:26  |  Silvienne 09/12/08
      97.   # 60 to sdhd re: the unbelievable 00:11  |  eric 10/12/08
      98.   Silvienne (#91) Yes I am sure you Believe that 00:25  |  Gil 10/12/08
      99.   Silvienne (#91) Yes I am sure you Believe that 00:26  |  Gil 10/12/08
      100.   Silvienne (#91) Yes I am SURE you Believe that 00:37  |  Gil 10/12/08
      101.   Silvienne (#91) Yes I am SURE you Believe that 00:59  |  Gil 10/12/08
      102.   #all 4 posts: from Gil to me.. 05:33  |  Silvienne 10/12/08
      103.   Gil, a video shown in England about Israel 06:03  |  Silvienne 10/12/08
      104.   To Silvienne (#99): Don`t bother 07:26  |  Morris Valentine 10/12/08
      105.   Silvienne (#102) Again 12:07  |  Gil 10/12/08
      106.   #95;Silvienne and deflection 14:28  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 10/12/08
      107.   #105, Gil, you`re still doing it!! 00:41  |  Silvienne 11/12/08
      108.   #106, DOC... 00:45  |  Silvienne 11/12/08
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