camera.org has an excellent breakdown of the Mohammed Al Dura affair, including translations from French of some sources previously not available in English: Anatomy of a French Media Scandal.

The image of Mohammed Al Dura, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy crouched in terror behind his father as he allegedly becomes the fatal victim of Israeli bullets, has become an icon of Palestinian “martyrdom,” especially in the Arab world. It has been repeatedly broadcast on television, appeared in Palestinian posters, advertisements and on Arab country postage stamps, fueling Palestinian hatred of and violence against Israel.

The video clip of an apparent crossfire between Israelis and Palestinians originated with the French public television station, France 2, filmed by the network’s Palestinian cameraman with voice-over by its Jerusalem bureau chief who attributed the mortal shots to Israel. Over the four and a half years since the incident, however, questions have been raised about the accuracy of the attribution and even about the authenticity of the scene. Those who accuse the television station and journalists of manipulating the facts have been met with cover-up, obfuscation, and threats of lawsuit. As the scandal simmers in the French media, CAMERA sorts out the claims and counter-claims.

Recently when I was on France 2 TV, I asked the interviewer about the Mohammed Al Dura controversy, and was told (to paraphrase), “Nothing to see here! It’s all over! No controversy at all! Move along!”

It’s clear from the Camera report that this little fracas ain’t over yet, mes amis.