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The image of 12-year-old Mohammed al-Dura and his father that sparked the affair in 2000. (AP) Last update - 10:35 02/03/2008 Independent expert: IDF bullets didn't kill Mohammed al-Dura By Adi Schwartz Tags: Mohammed al-Dura, IDF  A report presented to a French court last week by an independent ballistics expert maintains that the death of Mohammed al-Dura, a Palestinian child seen being shot in the Gaza Strip during the first days of the intifada in September 2000, could not have been the result of Israeli gunfire, corroborating claims that the shocking footage was doctored. The ballistics expert, Jean-Claude Schlinger, presented his conclusions after reviewing the footage, which shows Dura and his father cowering by a wall after being caught in the crossfire between Palestinian gunmen and Israel Defense Forces soldiers at the Netzarim junction. The case revolves around a libel suit brought by the France 2 television channel and its Middle East correspondent, Charles Enderlin, against Phillipe Karsenty. On November 22, 2004 Karsenty wrote on his Web site, Media Ratings, that Dura's death had been staged and that France 2's conduct "disgraces France and its public broadcasting system." Advertisement A few weeks later France 2 and Enderlin sued him for libel. In October 2006 Karsenty was found guilty and was required to pay symbolic damages of 1 euro (and 3,000 euros in court costs). Karsenty appealed. The judge asked to examine all of the film footage in the report of the shooting before rendering a verdict. On Saturday, Enderlin rejected Schlinger's findings, arguing that "only partial evidence was given to him for evaluation." In his report, Schlinger wrote, "If Jamal [the boy's father] and Mohammed al-Dura were indeed struck by shots, then they could not have come from the Israeli position, from a technical point of view, but only from the direction of the Palestinian position." He also wrote, "In view of the general context, and in light of many instances of staged incidents, there is no objective evidence that the child was killed and his father injured. It is very possible, therefore, that it is a case [in which the incident was] staged." Schlinger confirmed these statements in a telephone conversation with Haaretz. Schlinger has served as an adviser on ballistic and forensic evidence in French courts for 20 years. In his examination, he recreated the incident emphasizing the angle from which the shots could have been fired, the types of injuries and the types of weapons used by the IDF and the Palestinians. According to his report, there is no evidence that the boy was wounded in his right leg or in his abdomen, as was originally reported. Regarding the injuries reportedly suffered by the father, Schlinger wrote that "If the injuries are genuine, they could not have occurred at the time of the events that television channel France 2 reported." Regarding the angle of the shots, Schlinger wrote, "Assuming that the shots came from the Israeli position, only the lower limbs could have been hit, because the rest of the body was protected by the house at the location." This is the first time that an independent ballistics expert, not representing the State of Israel, undertook to examine Karsenty's claims. Bookmark to del.icio.us   The Chancellor's visit Angela Merkel arrives in Israel to 'open new chapter' in bilateral ties. London paying Netanyahu says PR trip to U.K. wasn't funded by Israeli taxpayer.   1.   their pants should be sued off 04:51  |  judith 02/03/08   2.   Dura was killed-- by war, by the self-rightous ideology 05:46  |  Balboa 02/03/08   3.   Shame on the French journalists lying to their readers to 05:51  |  Marwan مروان خو 02/03/08   4.   I just knew it!!!!! 05:54  |  Lynnn 02/03/08   5.   This Pallywood Fictional Film Failed To Win An Oscar ... 06:12  |  Lavi 02/03/08   6.   What drivel 06:38  |  Marilyn 02/03/08   7.   yeah right!!! and Jenin was "not" a massacre 07:27  |  disbeliever 02/03/08   8.   Independent expert 07:27  |  Paula 02/03/08   9.   Israels killing of one child debunked. 100 more to go 07:27  |  Natallie Durson 02/03/08   10.   cut off your nose to spite your face!!! 07:32  |  neutral-man 02/03/08   11.   As usual, relegated to the back pages... 07:57  |  Jeff 02/03/08   12.   Tripe? 08:12  |  Dan 02/03/08   13.   #4 - Marilyn 08:26  |  Michael 02/03/08   14.   Only Marilyn knows the truth... 08:34  |  Ehud 02/03/08   15.   Arab liars - nuff said 08:48  |  IW 02/03/08   16.   Marilyn knew Israel was guilty w/o seeing a video 08:57  |  Shlomo 02/03/08   17.   Marylin 09:15  |  David 02/03/08   18.   Enderlin, the LIAR, complains. 09:20  |  Dr. Jack 02/03/08   19.   Too little, too late 09:22  |  Aviva 02/03/08   20.   Where is Waldo and M. alDura? 09:31  |  sptz 02/03/08   21.   France 2 should have to pay Israel BILLIONS 09:44  |  McQueen 02/03/08   22.   to 1 10:00  |  jean marie 02/03/08   23.   FRENCH POCKETS 10:00  |  THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT 02/03/08   24.   The IDF tore down the wall that was behind the boy and father 10:23  |  jack 02/03/08   25.   No physical or real evidence to support IDF claim, just lies 10:24  |  anti-racist 02/03/08   26.   Pali-wood 101 - the world has to wake up 10:58  |  steve 02/03/08   27.   MARYLIN etc. ballistic experts.What happened to the bullet? 10:58  |  PETER SM 02/03/08   28.   Just TOOOO LATE the 10:59  |  Nerys 02/03/08   29.   Al-Dura 11:18  |  MacBeth 02/03/08   30.   Enderlin, a shame to his profession 11:05  |  S. 02/03/08   31.   anti-racist 11:11  |  Cindy 02/03/08   32.   "ANTI RACIST" Instant martyrs and lies for your cause.!! 11:12  |  PETER SM 02/03/08   33.   Mohammed al-Dura 11:20  |  Ralph 02/03/08   34.   the arab propaganda machine knows no limits 11:24  |  don 02/03/08   35.   McQueen: Isn`t it enough that our tax billions go to Isreal 11:47  |  Tupac 02/03/08   36.   This confirms the German TV program that cast serious doubt. 11:51  |  PETER SM 02/03/08   37.   #16, S 11:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/03/08   38.   You don`t need videos to realise that the idf are serial killers! 11:57  |  lakshmi 02/03/08   39.   So what? 12:32  |  Hadi 02/03/08   40.   reply to Lakshmi 12:18  |  Maerton 02/03/08   41.   Another reply to Lakshmi 12:20  |  Maerton 02/03/08   42.   Postings to this article. 12:44  |  David Nigel Braham 02/03/08   43.   Where is the boy? really? 12:33  |  Dror 02/03/08   44.   Whats the surprise? 12:43  |  Mr Ipp 02/03/08   45.   To Hadi 12:51  |  dovale 02/03/08   46.   UNBELIEVABLE ! ! ! 12:09  |  FO 02/03/08   47.   Lakshmi 12:58  |  Ehud 02/03/08   48.   #to Adi Schwartz: needed: links to former coverage of subject 13:00  |  Daniel 02/03/08   49.   another blood libel 12:50  |  the truth 02/03/08   50.   reply to Lakshmi 13:08  |  the truth 02/03/08   51.   MOSSAD: AL-DURA KILLED HIMSELF 13:09  |  indrajaya 02/03/08   52.   Prosecute the french tv station for their lies 13:11  |  Jed 02/03/08   53.   Arab lies and media buys 13:23  |  r 02/03/08   54.   #36, Indrajaya 13:40  |  Michael 02/03/08   55.   MacBeth 13:47  |  Cindy 02/03/08   56.   Media sympathies 13:49  |  Joseph 02/03/08   57.   Indra 13:52  |  the truth 02/03/08   58.   #4 Marilyn 13:59  |  Moshe 02/03/08   59.   # 19 Peter SM..Is This News For Us? 14:06  |  KATHY 02/03/08   60.   What would I have done in this situation? 14:06  |  AliciaYasmeen 02/03/08   61.   #14 14:08  |  Moshe 02/03/08   62.   Pals play with their children all day long... 14:11  |  mum 02/03/08   63.   To Dovale 14:12  |  Hadi 02/03/08   64.   BRAVO KARSENTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 14:12  |  vladimir 02/03/08   65.   That`s how French TV makes $$$ 14:14  |  HATE 02/03/08   66.   To PRO-ISRAEL smart comments 14:16  |  Ahmed 02/03/08   67.   That is not the only Bogus claim against Israel INHUMANITY. 14:16  |  Buzaglow 02/03/08   68.   JUST LIKE THE HIZBOLLAH TERRORIST KILLED IN SYRIA 14:18  |  Robert 02/03/08   69.   Insrajaya -- sometimes the truth hurts 14:25  |  bbl 02/03/08   70.   Unbelievable 14:38  |  Hal 02/03/08   71.   SMART!!! 15:04  |  Tag 02/03/08   72.