Father claims fabrication in footage of Jerusalem shooting

Monday August 13, 2007 11:26 by John Smith - IMEMC & agencies

The Father of Ahmad Khatib, the Arab-Israeli killed in Friday’s shooting in the Old City of Jerusalem, has claimed that video footage released by the Israeli government is fabricated.

Jaffa gate, close to where the incident took place

In the footage released by the Israeli administration, Khatib is seen to seize a gun from an Israeli guard, after which he is chased and a gun battle ensues. Friends of the deceased man, however, have claimed his innocence, with some asserting that tape is pure fabrication.

Mahmoud Khatib, Ahmad’s Father, claimed that the tape had been edited and altered by Israeli authorities, suggesting that he had eyewitnesses whose recollection of events were significantly different.

“Today there’s no problem to use graphics and edit tapes […] everything can be staged. I have witnesses who claim that something else happened,” Mahmoud stated.

While a joint statement from several Palestinian factions claimed responsibility for the attack, the Arab-Israeli group ‘The free people of Galilee’ have also stated that they were behind the shooting. The statement was rejected by Israeli security sources who claimed that the group was now defunct.

In related news, an Arab MK has criticized Israeli forces for apparently shooting and killing Khatib as he lay on the ground. While MK Ahmad Tibi did not deny that the man was involved in the shooting, he argued that, according to the footage, Khatib was killed as he sat on the ground.

For their part, the Israeli authorities refuted this claim, stating that while the video footage ends as the man is sat on the ground, unreleased video and eyewitness statements suggest that he was not shot at this point.

jerusalem | palestinian attacks | news report