Analysis: Bullets

Bullets Analysis

Introduction

The term “Ballistics” describes the study of the projectile dynamics. This section explores the evidence regarding the trajectory of the bullets that Talal Abu Rahma videotaped hitting the wall behind the Al Durahs, in relation to the allegation that Israeli soldiers fired hundreds of bullets at Muhammad and Jamal Al Durah over a 45 minute period, as the pair sheltered behind a barrel at Netzarim Junction. Twelve to fifteen bullets were alleged to have struck the Al Durahs, killing Muhammad and grievously wounding Jamal.

Not a single bullet – or even a bullet fragment – has ever been produced to corroborate these claims. Despite Jamal Al Durah’s admittance to Shifa Hospital in Gaza following the alleged shooting and his transfer to The King Hussein Medical Centre in Amman Jordan, not a single one of the nine to 12 bullets alleged to have entered his body was recovered.  None of the three bullets alleged to have struck Muhammad Al Durah was recovered, during his autopsy by Shifa hospital pathologist Dr. Abed El Raqez El Masry.

France2′s footage of the incident, filmed by Talal Abu Rahma, remains the only phhotographic record of the incident itself. It was solely upon this footage – and Abu Rahma’s characterization of its content — that France2 based its claim of a shooting. Not a single shot alleged to have struck either of the Al Durahs is captured on the video. Of the “hundreds” of bullets alleged to have been fired by Israeli soldiers at the Al Durahs, only three shots are seen striking the wall behind the Al Durahs. Ballistics experts  —  including France’s leading ballistics expert, Jean-Claude Schlinger — based upon the dust signature of these shots clearly visible in the video, determined that these shots could not possibly have come from the Israeli position – and were fired from areas that we know were manned by Palestinian gunmen.

A cloud of dust on the ground well in front of the Al Durahs¬¬ – apparently kicked up by a single burst of automatic weapon fire– is observable toward the end of the video sequence. However, the source and caliber of the fire cannot be determined. No change in the number of bullet holes in the wall by the Al Durahs before and after the burst is visible when the dust clears.

Only Palestinian “security forces”, Palestinian militants and photographers cooperating with them could approach the scene following the alleged shooting. The Palestinian authorities tasked with the investigation of the alleged shootings simply assumed the conclusion of their “investigation” – and thus excused themselves from conducting one.

Although Talal Abu Rahma first claimed that he filmed bullets at the scene – and then claimed France2 collected bullets – Abu Rahma never produced any film of the bullets or samples of them. Abu Rahma also could not or would not answer any of journalist Esther Schapira’s questions about the bullets, when Schapira interviewed him a year after the incident. Indeed, when Schapira pressed Abu Rahma to disclose the length and type of bullet he filmed, his reaction was to smile and say that France2 had “some secrets for ourselves”.

“Secrets”? Really? Tala Abu Rahma, accused IDF soldiers of killing Muhammad Al Durah in cold blood. France2 disseminated video with narration by Charles Enderlin, who knew the footage would inflame great passion – and, indeed, moved that narrative forward. What would justify or explain France2’s keeping “some secrets for ourselves”, if it had any?  Since France2 is a French government funded media network, Israel requested through diplomatic channels any bullets that France2 collected. None was ever produced.

In essence, there are several testable claims about the shooting that allegedly targeted the Al Durahs – We will analyze the claims one by one, to test their internal consistency and plausibility. Such analysis is fundamental to any serious evaluation of the claims’ veracity. We will also test the plausibility of these claims against external photographic evidence.