dave@lsuc.uucp (David Sherman) (03/24/88)
Ray Dunn and others who believe that the TV film clips
tell the whole story may wish to take note of this.
It's something to think about when pontificating that "Occupation Soldiers
Beating up Kids are Occupation Soldiers Beating up Kids".
(Letter to the editor, New York Times, March 13, 1988)
To the Editor:
I am an American, born in Scranton, Pa., now living in Hebron, Israel, with
my wife and young child. On Feb. 5, I was a victim of Arab violence.
On that Friday at 4 P.M., I was driving home from Jerusalem just before the
Sabbath, along the Jerusalem - Hebron road. About a mile south of Bethlehem, I
passed the Dehaishe Arab refugee district, which the road skirts on its way to
Hebron, about 12 miles south. Israeli soldiers were patrolling the northern
areas of the district.
Passing the southern section, I noticed an Arab boy scout about 14 years old
standing next to a building beside the road. As my car approached, he gave a
waving hand signal and immediatly 10 or 12 youths roughly the same age rushed
forward, hurling large rocks at my car. The rocks hit their mark. One crashed
through and shattered the windshield, cutting my face in several places.
Another hit me in the jaw. I carry a firearm with me in the car. Upon being
hit, I got out of the car and fired shots in the air, causing my attackers to
retreat. Then I noticed several adults in the background behind my attackers,
egging them on and urging them to resume the stoning.
As I stood injured beside my car, within five minutes, maximum, there arrived
on the scene three news crews in three cars. One car was marked "foreign press"
and another "television." No soldiers were to be seen. They parked very close
to me and emerged with television cameras. I stood in the road with blood
streaming down my face, beside my car with its shattered windshield, and not a
single newsman or cameraman approached to talk to me or inquire what had
happened or offer assistance. Not a single camera was pointed in my direction.
A passing motorist stopped and hailed some soldiers up the road. As the
soldiers arrived, the stone-throwing youths returned, showing no fear and began
pelting them with rocks as well.
The soldiers responded by firing tear gas and giving chase to the rioters.
This was what the newsmen were waiting for. Cameras rolled, capturing for
television viewers the familiar picture of well-armed Israeli soldiers chasing
and firing at unarmed Palestinian youths. Unfortunately, as in my case, the
Israeli victims of Palestinian violence - and there are many - are rarely, if
ever shown. When I returned to Hebron, I reported the incident to the police.
The press crews apparently knew that there was going to be a stone-throwing
attack on that road and at that time. Otherwise, there is no way they could
have arrived at the scene within a few minutes - even before the soldiers got
there. They were simply waiting for the "news" to happen.
(Rabbi) YECHIEL LEITER
(reposted from talk.politics.mideast)
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