Die Schimäre des Völkerrechts

Haaretz, Sonntag, 04. Mai 2003, 12:52 (vor 7873 Tagen) @ Final Cut

IDF suspects Palestinians shot British cameraman
By JOEL LEYDEN

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The IDF suspects that British photographer James
Miller was fatally shot by Palestinians, and not
Israeli forces, in the southern Gaza Strip town of
Rafah, a military source told The Jerusalem Post
on Sunday.

Miller, 35, was shot on Friday night while taking
footage for a planned documentary film about the
effects of war on Palestinian children in Gaza.

The shooting apparently occurred as troops were
patrolling by the embattled Termit outpost in
Rafah.

A statement released by the IDF Spokesman over the
weekend said troops were in the area searching for
tunnels used to smuggle weapons near Rafah. Shots
and the rocket were then fired at troops
investigating a tunnel found in a home.

"The soldiers returned fire and during the
exchange of gunfire a British cameraman was hit.
He received preliminary medical treatment at the
site and was then moved to a nearby IDF position
for continued treatment. A helicopter was summoned
to airlift him to hospital but the cameraman
succumbed to his wounds when the aircraft reached
the site," the statement said.

The army noted that while it regretted the
incident, Miller had entered a combat zone. "The
entry of photographers into combat zones during
exchanges of gunfire endangers the troops and the
photographers who do so risk being hit," the IDF
Spokesman said.

The IDF also expressed regret over the incident
saying it was still under investigation.

On Sunday, a source said initial findings
indicated that Miller may have been shot by
Palestinians and not Israelis as witnesses
reported.

"An IDF doctor arrived at the scene shortly after
James Miller was fatally wounded. The doctor
identified the bullet wound as having entered from
Miller´s left rear shoulder," the source said.

"There was only Palestinian gunfire coming from a
housewhich was behind Miller´s position. Based on
these initial details we are almost certain that
Miller was shot from behind by Palestinian
terrorists. Miller´s body has been sent to the Abu
Kabir Forensic Institute for further examination
and confirmation that the gunfire that killed
Miller was the result of Palestinian gunfire," the
source added.

According to IDF sources, The Associated Press TV
has footage of an ongoing gun battle between the
IDF and Palestinian terrorists in Rafiah. The film
clearly illustrates a dark night scene with Miller
exiting from one Palestinian house and walking
towards another which had a weapons smuggling
tunnel in it.

Miller was part of a crew of three people which
had a woman carrying a white flag. Miller was not
walking in the direction of IDF troops and IDF
gunfire.

The AP film also captured the sound of laughter
coming from a Palestinian in a nearby building
immediately after the shooting, the IDF sources
said.

The sources said further that the footage shows no
evidence of any tanks being in the area,
suggesting Miller could not have been shot by one
as witnesses charged on Friday.

Miller was a prize-winning documentary maker who
had worked for CNN, the BBC, Britain´s Channel 4
and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

(With Margot Dudkevitch)