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| '''Nahum Shahaf''' ({{lang-he|נחום שחף}}) (1946–) is an Israeli ] |
'''Nahum Shahaf''' ({{lang-he|נחום שחף}}) (1946–) is an Israeli ] and current president Natop, an electro-optics and image enhancement company he founded.<ref name="res"> {{languageicon|he|Hebrew}}</ref> He was one of the leading developers of Israel's ]s,<ref name="Lord"></ref> and received an Israeli science ministry creativity prize in 1997. Shahaf is also known for his investigation into the controversial incident of ], a shooting incident of a 12 year old boy from the early days of the ], of which Shahaf concluded the boy could not have been hit by Israeli bullets and that the incident was most probably staged by the ]. | ||
| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
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| A Fellow at the Israel Ministry of Science and recipient of the Ministry's creativity prize in 1997, Shahaf describes himself as "a scientist, a physicist specialized in ballistics and the technology of filming images."<ref name="Guysen">] interviews Nahum Shahaf]</ref> | A Fellow at the Israel Ministry of Science and recipient of the Ministry's creativity prize in 1997, Shahaf describes himself as "a scientist, a physicist specialized in ballistics and the technology of filming images."<ref name="Guysen">] interviews Nahum Shahaf]</ref> | ||
| == Work on the Al-Durrah incident== | == Work on the Al-Durrah incident== | ||
| After approaching IDF ] Major General ], Shahaf began an investigation of the case. On October 23, 2000, Shahaf helped to arrange a re-enactment of the shooting on an IDF shooting range, in front of a CBS '']'' camera crew. In late November 2000, at the conclusion of the inquiry, General Samia presented his findings at a press conference, explaining that the findings were "based on measurements, bullet angles and evidence that the Palestinian boy was hit by a volley of gunfire while Israeli soldiers were firing only single shots." <ref name="CNN"> AP - November 27, 2000 </ref> | |||
| After advancing conspiracy theories on the 1995 ], Shahaf approached IDF ] Major General ] and proposed an investigation of the al-Durrah shooting.<ref name=Cygielman>{{cite web|title=Dubious Probe of the al Dura Case Backfires|last=Cygielman|first=Anat|date=November 7, 2000|publisher=Haaretz|accessdate=4 March 2010}}</ref><ref> "media conspiracy theory ... troops could not have shot the child" The Age (Australia), 26th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref> "the fountainhead of al-Dura conspiracy mania" Jerusalem Post, 28th May 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref>. Shahaf "pioneered ... conspiracy theory after cutting his teeth on the Rabin assassination" Jerusalem Post, 18th June 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref> "eccentric obsession .. also obtained "amazing material" on the murder of Yitzhak Rabin" Haaretz, 7th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref> On October 23, 2000, Shahaf helped to arrange a re-enactment on an IDF shooting range. In late November 2000, at the conclusion of the inquiry, General Samia presented his findings at a press conference, explaining that the findings were "based on measurements, bullet angles and evidence that the Palestinian boy was hit by a volley of gunfire while Israeli soldiers were firing only single shots."<ref name="CNN"> AP - November 27, 2000</ref> | |||
| Journalist Stephanie Gutmann pointed to "odd" discrepancies that resulted from Shahaf's investigation. "Shahaf... spent months painstakingly collecting, wheedling, even buying footage from reluctant cameramen, and then spliced the pieces together in rough temporal order in an attempt to make an unbroken film of the day."<ref>''The other war: Israelis, Palestinians, and the struggle for media supremacy'', Stephanie Gutmann, Encounter Books, 2005, p. 75.</ref> Journalist ] refers to Shahaf as "a leading figure" in a group that believes the incident was staged.<ref name=Fallows> "essentially an accumulation of oddities and unanswered questions" Atlantic Monthly, 2nd Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref> Shahaf and the Al-Durrah 'staged incident' theory have been criticized by several commentators, Shahaf's involvement decribed by Israeli newspaper Haaretz as "dubious."<ref name=Cygielman>{{cite web|title=Dubious Probe of the al Dura Case Backfires|last=Cygielman|first=Anat|date=November 7, 2000|publisher=Haaretz|accessdate=4 March 2010}}</ref><ref> "media conspiracy theory ... troops could not have shot the child" The Age (Australia), 26th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref> "the fountainhead of al-Dura conspiracy mania" Jerusalem Post, 28th May 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref>. Shahaf "pioneered ... conspiracy theory after cutting his teeth on the Rabin assassination" Jerusalem Post, 18th June 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref> "eccentric obsession .. also obtained "amazing material" on the murder of Yitzhak Rabin" Haaretz, 7th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref> | Journalist Stephanie Gutmann pointed to "odd" discrepancies that resulted from Shahaf's investigation. "Shahaf... spent months painstakingly collecting, wheedling, even buying footage from reluctant cameramen, and then spliced the pieces together in rough temporal order in an attempt to make an unbroken film of the day."<ref>''The other war: Israelis, Palestinians, and the struggle for media supremacy'', Stephanie Gutmann, Encounter Books, 2005, p. 75.</ref> Journalist ] refers to Shahaf as "a leading figure" in a group that believes the incident was staged.<ref name=Fallows> "essentially an accumulation of oddities and unanswered questions" Atlantic Monthly, 2nd Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref> Shahaf and the Al-Durrah 'staged incident' theory have been criticized by several commentators, Shahaf's involvement decribed by Israeli newspaper Haaretz as "dubious."<ref name=Cygielman>{{cite web|title=Dubious Probe of the al Dura Case Backfires|last=Cygielman|first=Anat|date=November 7, 2000|publisher=Haaretz|accessdate=4 March 2010}}</ref><ref> "media conspiracy theory ... troops could not have shot the child" The Age (Australia), 26th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref> "the fountainhead of al-Dura conspiracy mania" Jerusalem Post, 28th May 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref>. Shahaf "pioneered ... conspiracy theory after cutting his teeth on the Rabin assassination" Jerusalem Post, 18th June 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref> "eccentric obsession .. also obtained "amazing material" on the murder of Yitzhak Rabin" Haaretz, 7th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref> | ||
| Despite criticism, Shahaf received the ''Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism'' from ''Israel's Media Watch'' association ({{lang-he|האגודה לזכות הציבור לדעת}}) in 2008, for what the awarding panel described as "revealing the truth behind news fabrications" in relation to the Al-Durrah incident.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref> זוכי פרס ביקורת התקשורת: שחף וקרבצ'יק</ref><ref>פרסים מטעם האגודה לזכות הציבור לדעת ליבגניה קרבצ'יק, נחום שחף וגיא רולניק</ref> | Despite criticism, Shahaf received the ''Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism'' from ''Israel's Media Watch'' association ({{lang-he|האגודה לזכות הציבור לדעת}}) in 2008, for what the awarding panel described as "revealing the truth behind news fabrications" in relation to the Al-Durrah incident.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref> זוכי פרס ביקורת התקשורת: שחף וקרבצ'יק</ref><ref>פרסים מטעם האגודה לזכות הציבור לדעת ליבגניה קרבצ'יק, נחום שחף וגיא רולניק</ref> | ||
| In reference to the incident, Shahaf has stated:: | |||
| <blockquote>I believe that one day there will be good things in common between us and the Palestinians.…But the case of Mohammed al-Dura brings the big flames between Israel and the Palestinians and Arabs. It brings a big wall of hate. They can say this is the proof, the ultimate proof, that Israeli soldiers are boy-murderers. And that hatred breaks any chance of having something good in the future. <ref> ''The Israeli-Palestinian War: Escalating to Nowhere'' p. 373 by ] and Jennifer Moravitz ] 2005 </ref> </blockquote> | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 20:10, 6 March 2010
Nahum Shahaf (Template:Lang-he) (1946–) is an Israeli physicist and current president Natop, an electro-optics and image enhancement company he founded. He was one of the leading developers of Israel's unmanned aerial vehicles, and received an Israeli science ministry creativity prize in 1997. Shahaf is also known for his investigation into the controversial incident of Muhammad al-Durrah, a shooting incident of a 12 year old boy from the early days of the Second Intifada, of which Shahaf concluded the boy could not have been hit by Israeli bullets and that the incident was most probably staged by the Palestinians.
Background
Shahaf completed his master's degree in 1977 at Bar-Ilan University. As an Elcint employee he helped develop CT technology. From 1981, he had worked with the IDF on developing unmanned Israeli aircraft at Tadiran heading the unit that formulated strategy in the area of visual intelligence. In 1989, he moved to Israel Aircraft Industries to develop helicopter missile technologies. In 1994, in connection with his work at Israel Aircraft Industries, he and fellow inventor Moshe Meidan applied for a United States patent for developing a method and system for moving object detection.
In 1991, he set up the Natop Company, developed a system to compress video material, for which he was awarded a Science Ministry prize. He applied for a patent for a see-through protective wall, as well as a system to protect buildings from cellular antenna radiation.
According to Israeli reporter Amnon Lord, "Nahum Shahaf has worked in Israel's defense establishment as a physicist for the optical intelligence unit of the IDF. He has contributed much in various ways to the defense system, and was among the leading developers of pilotless light aircraft and video instrumentation. Shahaf investigated the damage done by the Iraqi missiles in 1991, and concluded that part of the damage was caused by Patriot missiles.
A Fellow at the Israel Ministry of Science and recipient of the Ministry's creativity prize in 1997, Shahaf describes himself as "a scientist, a physicist specialized in ballistics and the technology of filming images."
Work on the Al-Durrah incident
After approaching IDF Southern Commander Major General Yom Tov Samia, Shahaf began an investigation of the case. On October 23, 2000, Shahaf helped to arrange a re-enactment of the shooting on an IDF shooting range, in front of a CBS 60 Minutes camera crew. In late November 2000, at the conclusion of the inquiry, General Samia presented his findings at a press conference, explaining that the findings were "based on measurements, bullet angles and evidence that the Palestinian boy was hit by a volley of gunfire while Israeli soldiers were firing only single shots."
Journalist Stephanie Gutmann pointed to "odd" discrepancies that resulted from Shahaf's investigation. "Shahaf... spent months painstakingly collecting, wheedling, even buying footage from reluctant cameramen, and then spliced the pieces together in rough temporal order in an attempt to make an unbroken film of the day." Journalist James Fallows refers to Shahaf as "a leading figure" in a group that believes the incident was staged. Shahaf and the Al-Durrah 'staged incident' theory have been criticized by several commentators, Shahaf's involvement decribed by Israeli newspaper Haaretz as "dubious."
Despite criticism, Shahaf received the Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism from Israel's Media Watch association (Template:Lang-he) in 2008, for what the awarding panel described as "revealing the truth behind news fabrications" in relation to the Al-Durrah incident.
In reference to the incident, Shahaf has stated::
I believe that one day there will be good things in common between us and the Palestinians.…But the case of Mohammed al-Dura brings the big flames between Israel and the Palestinians and Arabs. It brings a big wall of hate. They can say this is the proof, the ultimate proof, that Israeli soldiers are boy-murderers. And that hatred breaks any chance of having something good in the future.
References
- נחום שחף - קורות חיים Template:Languageicon
- ^ Who Killed Muhammad Al-Dura? Blood Libel-- Model 2000 Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Amnon Lord 15 July 2002
- ^ Who Shot Mohammed al-Dura? "essentially an accumulation of oddities and unanswered questions" Atlantic Monthly, 2nd Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.
- Who Killed Muhammad Al-Dura? Blood Libel -- Model 2000
- 5/3/94 Patent Storm
- (WO/2002/055797) SEE-THROUGH PROTECTIVE WALLS AND BARRIERS
- The Mohamad A-Dura affair: a gross imposture? MENA interviews Nahum Shahaf
- Israel claims Palestinian gunmen may have shot boy in high-profile killing AP - November 27, 2000
- The other war: Israelis, Palestinians, and the struggle for media supremacy, Stephanie Gutmann, Encounter Books, 2005, p. 75.
- Cygielman, Anat (November 7, 2000). "Dubious Probe of the al Dura Case Backfires". Haaretz.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - Battle rages over fateful footage "media conspiracy theory ... troops could not have shot the child" The Age (Australia), 26th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.
- Al-Dura and the conspiracy freaks "the fountainhead of al-Dura conspiracy mania" Jerusalem Post, 28th May 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.
- Get real about Muhammad al-Dura. Shahaf "pioneered ... conspiracy theory after cutting his teeth on the Rabin assassination" Jerusalem Post, 18th June 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.
- Mohammed al-Dura lives on "eccentric obsession .. also obtained "amazing material" on the murder of Yitzhak Rabin" Haaretz, 7th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.
- The Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism, Israel Media Watch
- Israel Media Watch Awards 2008
- Omedia זוכי פרס ביקורת התקשורת: שחף וקרבצ'יק
- Haaretzפרסים מטעם האגודה לזכות הציבור לדעת ליבגניה קרבצ'יק, נחום שחף וגיא רולניק
- The Israeli-Palestinian War: Escalating to Nowhere p. 373 by Anthony H. Cordesman and Jennifer Moravitz Greenwood Publishing Group 2005
External websites
- Shahaf's website in English
- Sharaf's website in Hebrew
- Al-Dura, Nahum Shahaf investigation reasults in Hebrew)
- Israel's Media Watch in English
- Metula News Agency
- CV (Hebrew)