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May 22, 2014

CNN Overreaches in Early Coverage of Betunia Deaths

CNN Betunia Bullet.jpg
Did this bullet enter and exit a young man's torso? An Israeli ballistics expert says no. (CNN screenshot)

The deaths of two young Palestinian rock throwers in Betunia in the West Bank on May 15, 2014, has generated a huge amount of attention in part because their deaths were apparently caught on tape.

One video, which was distributed by the Palestinian branch of Defence for Children International (and which has gotten more than 466,000 views on Youtube), shows the two young men falling to the ground.

Brad Parker, a representative of the Defence for Children International Palestine declared that the videos "clearly show two kids being hit directly with something other than a rubber bullet."

It’s tough to know how Parker can discern what hit the young men, but it is pretty clear that he’s accusing Israeli soldiers of using “live�? ammunition against the rock throwers.

This accusation gained further momentum when CNN aired a segment that showed Israeli soldiers shooting in the direction of one of the young men at the time he fell and then pans to a crowd putting him into an ambulance. During the segment the anchorwoman boiled the controversy down as follows:

It comes down to two very different accounts. Israelis say their military was firing only rubber-coated bullets, essentially ball bearings with a thin coating of rubber designed to hurt, but not penetrate. But the video apparently shows the two teens hit with what’s called “live fire,�? real bullets that doctors say passed through their bodies, killing them.

During the remainder of the segment, CNN reporter Ivan Watson speaks with Siam Nouwaran, the father of one of the young men who died. During the course of the interview, Watson describes the contents of a backpack he was wearing at the time of his death. “Inside, the backpack, a blood-stained textbook and a bullet, not a rubber-coated projectile.�?

The father holds a plastic bag that contains a bullet.

“You think that this is the bullet that killed your son?�? Watson asks. “Yeah, of course,�? the father answers. “Inside the bag. I found it inside the bag.�?

The image of a father holding the bullet that caused his son's death makes for a compelling story, especially on television.

But is it true?

One Israeli ballistics expert doesn't think so. Appearing today on Israel's Channel Two, Yosef Yekutiel stated that if the bullet actually went through the victim's body the way Palestinian doctors say it did, it would look entirely differently from the one displayed by the boy's father.

This bullet, if it did what the doctor claims, passed through the chest, came out through the body hit the backpack and passed through several books – this bullet didn't do that.

Everyone who understands bullets, knows that the moment it passes through the chest, the torso and hits some sort of bone, it ends up with a distortion. The moment it enters and hits the papers of the books it is expected to be crushed in the front section in a very prominent manner.

Clearly, CNN has some more reporting to do.

Posted by dvz at May 22, 2014 04:21 PM

Comments

Don't forget about CNN, In 2002 Ruth Peled, 56 and her granddaughter Sinai Kenan, a 14-month-old baby were murdered by Palestinian homicide bombers in Tel-Aviv while they were eating ice cream.
CNN interviewd the mother of the Palestinian homicide bomber who massacred Ruth Peled and Sinai. Ofcourse the mother praised her Islamo murderer son who murdered these defenseless Jews.

CNN promised to interview the mother of a 14-month-old Sinai but they never did.
So we have CNN only interviewing the mass murdering Palestinians to do their propaganda for them.

Posted by: Lisa Epstein at May 23, 2014 08:55 AM

The videos are clearly staged.

Who gets shot and then brakes their falls with outstretched hands?

Posted by: Stuart Weinstein [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 24, 2014 04:41 PM

I found a bullet in the ground once and put it in my pocket. Can I claim to have been shot?

Posted by: YairH at May 25, 2014 01:06 PM

As stated the video was clearly staged by very bad actors.

Posted by: Andrew at May 25, 2014 09:00 PM

CNN shows a 5 second clip of a mob of stone throwers. The Arab propaganda none at all. The provocation must have lasted a substantial time. It is ever thus. And did the grownups all stay home?

Posted by: victor vincey at May 26, 2014 07:18 AM

None of the family shows the slightest sign of grief. Look at their faces.

Posted by: victor vincey at May 26, 2014 09:16 AM

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