On September 30, 2000, amid widespread rioting throughout the Palestinian territories, Jamal al-Durrah and his 12 year old son, Muhammad, were filmed by France 2 cameraman Talal Abu Rahma as they sought cover behind a concrete cylinder after being caught in crossfire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian security forces.  The footage, which lasts just over a minute, shows the pair holding onto each other, the boy crying and the father waving.  Then a burst of gunfire and dust, after which the boy is seen slumped across his father’s legs, indicating his death.  Muhammad was hailed throughout the Arab and Muslim worlds as a Palestinian martyr; streets and parks were named after him, and postage stamps bore his image.

In the months and years following the incident, a number of commentators questioned the accuracy of France’s 2 report.  Philippe Karsenty, a French media commentator, was one of them.  The belief of Karsenty and many others that France 2 broadcast a “staged scene” was based on several sources and they demanded to see the raw footage of the Al Durrah event.  What followed were years of trials and appeals and what one reporter called “one of the greatest media manipulations the world has ever seen”.

Please join us for this special evening and meet a modern day hero, Philippe Karsenty.