AFP stands by Palestinian abuse story after Israeli complaint

Major news wire Agence France-Presse (AFP) defended a report it made on a Palestinian construction worker injured when an Israeli army driver drove over his legs on January 25, after the Israeli embassy in the US complained the incident was false.

AFP ran the story along with an image (seen here) of the man, Mohammed Abu Qbeita, who was trying to prevent Israeli soldiers from seizing building equipment in the village of Al-Dirat in the West Bank.

Israeli forces were trying to stop workers from building a Palestinian home on their native land when an Israeli army driver drove a trailer hooked to a tractor over Qbeita's legs.

AFP released a statement on Friday revealing Israeli attempts to discredit the report, including sending a letter to major US publications urging a correction to the story.

"In a letter to US newspapers, the Israeli embassy in Washington wrote that the vehicle was in fact stationary and that medics from the Israeli Defense Forces and Red Crescent determined that the construction worker had not been injured," AFP's statement read.

"In its letter, the embassy asked newspapers to 'issue a correction that the purported injury was not confirmed independently, contradicts medical examinations by both the IDF and Red Crescent, and was perhaps staged.' After casting doubt on AFP’s credibility and journalism ethics, it then asked the newspapers 'to consider ceasing to publish the photographs of Hazem Bader (the AFP photographer)'," it said.

Subsequent investigations by AFP's Jerusalem bureau found Israel's claims were "false," disclosing a medical certificate that showed Abu Qbeita suffered injuries and his claims that an Israeli military vehicle ran over him.

"In the medical examination we found that he has pain in his right knee, pain in his pelvis, and pain in the neck, and has difficulty in walking. We conducted X-RAYS on him and found fractures. He has been advised to consult the orthopedic department," the AFP statement said.

AFP also released a transcript (full version) of a February 1 interview with Abu Qbeita, who recounted how the Israeli tractor ran over his legs.

"I was working on this site for the first day. It was the first time I'd been working there. Some time after we started working the Israeli army arrived. All of a sudden, a lot of them, started saying it was forbidden to build there," he said.

"I didn't know that because I hadn't worked there before, but they said it was forbidden and we had to stop and they wanted to demolish what was already at the site."

"They were shouting a lot and I started walking over to where my stuff was so I could get my phone and my ID card and that's when the tractor hit me. It hit me twice, first on my side, which knocked me over on the ground. Then it drove over one of my legs. I didn't see it coming," he said.

AFP said it stood by its photographer who took the image, and rejected Israeli attempts to discredit the news wire.

"In the light of these inquiries and based on the trust we have in our photojournalist, AFP Management does not believes that this event could ever have been staged."

Israel maintains a military occupation of the West Bank, and continues to expand illegal Jewish settlements in defiance of international law.

Israel's military imposes severe restrictions on native Palestinians under occupation, hindering their freedom of movement and right to develop their own properties.

On Friday, 20 protesters were injured in a demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh on Friday, including a French woman, according to witnesses and activists.

Protests in Nabi Saleh are frequent, and target the theft of the village's land and water by nearby illegal Jewish settlers.

Israeli security forces fired tear gas canisters from a close range at demonstrators, hitting the French activist in the head, who bled profusely as a result.

Israeli forces later attacked journalists and paramedics trying to help the French activist and delayed the ambulance carrying the injured woman, witnesses said.

An Israeli soldier was also injured in the head and swiftly taken away by Israeli ambulances, according to witnesses.

(Al-Akhbar)