Green Helmet’s Successor?
We all recall the Green Helmet fauxtography brought to us thanks to Reuters during the second Lebanon War. Now, as the ground operation of Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip is in full swing, meet Green Helmet’s potential successor at the Shifa Hospital — Brown Jacket.
Exhibit A
Exhibit A is a Reuters photo by Mohammed Salem from yesterday (Jan. 4), captioned:
A wounded Palestinian is brought into a hospital in Gaza January 4, 2009. Israeli sheels killed at least five Palestinian civilians and wounded 40 others when they exploded in Gaza City’s main shopping area, medics and witnesses said.
Note the injured man’s brown jacket, black short-cropped hair, black shirt, black jeans, lean build. Said to be injured, he appears to be dependent on the supporting medic as he is brought into the hospital.
Exhibit B
Exhibit B is also a Reuters photo by Mohammed Salem from the very same day. The Reuters caption is:
Palestinians react beside bodies in al-Shifa hospital in Gaza January 4, 2009. Israeli shells killed at least five Palestinian civilians and wounded 40 others when they exploded in Gaza City’s main shopping area, medics and witnesses said.
Note the man squatting on the right. Note the brown jacket, black short-cropped hair, black shirt, black jeans, lean build. Note that there is no sign of injury and no sign of a supporting medic. What do you think? Is it the same man?
Given reports that Hamas members are hiding out in mosques and hospitals disguised as doctors and nurses, the potential for staging photographs does not surprise.
Denying allegations that Hamas members were hiding out in his hospital, the director of Shifa stated indignantly:
But to say that they’re hiding here? Media teams and Red Cross representatives freely walk around here. If there were activists here, they would have photographed them by now.
Indeed, they very well may have.
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