A Clip From a Short Film Shared as Palestinians Faking Israeli Killings
The Claim
A video shows Palestinians staging scenes in which a child is shot by Israeli soldiers.
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Emerging story
Social media users shared a video clip purporting to show Palestinians staging the killing of children by Israeli soldiers. The video shows a film crew standing beside an actor who is lying on his back with what appears to be fake blood on the ground. The claim has gone viral in Arabic, English, and Hebrew.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar's investigation revealed that the circulating claim misleading. The video shows scenes from a Palestinian film, not Palestinians staging a fake killing.
“Empty Place”
The video depicts scenes from "Empty Place," a Palestinian short film directed by Awni Eshtaiwe and based on the life of Ahmed Manasra, a Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails. Manasra was arrested in 2015, when he was 13 years old, after being hit by an Israeli police car. The Israeli authorities alleged Manasra was involved in a stabbing incident in an Israeli settlement. Manasra's sentence was reduced from 12 to 9 years in prison.
Mohamad Awawdeh, a Palestinian cameraman and crew member in the film, posted the video circulating with misinformation on Tik Tok. Awawdeh also posted other filming scenes from the film, which are shown below.
#FreeAhmedManasra
The Palestine Global Mental Health Network, in collaboration with legal experts, children's rights activists, and prisoners' rights organizations, has launched a campaign titled #FreeAhmadManasra, calling for his release from Israeli isolation prisons. The hashtags #unchilding and #unparenting were also used by users who took part in Manasra's online campaign.
At the time of writing, the #FreeAhmedManasra online petition had garnered over 329,349 signatures. However, as the online campaign for Manasra continues, his trial date has been set for June 26, 2022.
“I do not remember”
An interrogation was videotaped and leaked to local and international media, during which Manasra pleaded, "I do not remember!" For hours, he was tortured with an electric bracelet by the interrogator, who told him to keep quiet.
Manasra's lawyer, Khaled Zabarka, stated in a video that since his arrest, he has been subjected to verbal and physical abuse, torture, and prolonged periods of solitary confinement, all of which have deteriorated his physical and mental health.
Additional Reporting By Misbar's Arabic Team
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