21 years ago today, Israeli snipers murdered 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah

 

Jaap van der Vinne heeft een bericht gedeeld.

Moderator

  · 1u  · 

Jewish Voice for Peace 

2u  · 

21 years ago today, Israeli snipers murdered 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah in the lap of his father, who was trying to shield him from bullets. His death, captured on film, broke the hearts of people around the world, galvanizing us to fight for justice for Palestinians.

The footage of the murder has been seared into the minds of Palestinians and those moved to stand in solidarity with them. Many of our Jewish members recall witnessing this tragedy as a moment that opened their eyes to the brutality of Israeli occupation.

Much like today’s Israeli soldiers who murder Palestinian children with impunity, the snipers who killed Muhammad were never held accountable. The struggle to prevent these child murders, bring the murderers to justice, and honor the deceased is ongoing.

In fact, after initially admitting responsibility for the murder, the Israeli government and press launched campaigns to absolve the military. They tried to discredit the footage, or claim Palestinians were responsible, or doubt whether responsibility could be determined at all.

The notion that Palestinians are unreliable documenters and narrators of their people’s own experiences has been an infuriating legacy of these propaganda campaigns. To this day, Israeli and US news outlets continue to frame Israeli violence as “other” than what it seems.

We must resist attempts to defame the oppressed, delegitimize their struggles, and avert the world’s gaze from the oppressor’s violence. We did not avert our gaze in 2000, and we won’t avert it now. We listen to and amplify Palestinians’ experiences, letting them move us to action.