“Talal Abu Rahma – 28 Minutes Focusing on the Wall”

Interviewed by Esther Schapira a year after the Al Durah incident Talal Abu Rahma, France2’s Palestinian photojournalist, recalls that the Israelis allegedly targeted the Al Durahs for 28 minutes as they huddled by the wall at Netzarim Junction on September 30, 2000.

  • Problem 1: Internal inconsistency – In other testimony during the same interview Abu Rachma insisted that the Israelis targeted the Al Durahs for 45 minutes, not 28.
  • Problem 2: External inconsistency – The Israeli post was 80 meters from the Al Durahs. How likely is it that Israeli sharpshooters firing high velocity weapons at overlapping stationary targets from a distance of 80 meters would require 28 minutes of constant firing to kill one person and not even manage to mortally wound the second? Ask any soldier with battle experience how long it would take to hit a stationary target at 80 meters. It takes seconds.
  • Problem 3. External inconsistency – How likely is it that Israeli sharpshooters would focus consistently for 28 minutes on a target located 30 degrees away from the Palestinian position from which fire was emanating toward the Israeli post?