. "The cameras are our kryptonite." photography in palestine

Photography does make a difference !

 Cameras can be "Kryptonite". They can drain the Power of even self-styled Supermen.

 Here are two interesting takes on Photography  in Palestine. The power of the camera does persist, despite the denial by photographers themselves.

“Intolerable” not to be able to shoot Palestinians at will

One soldier admits that the presence of cameras – presumably in the hands of Palestinian and other videographers – inhibits the soldiers from being even more abusive:

T. says the cameras on the ground undermine the forces’ efforts. “A commander or an officer sees a camera and becomes a diplomat, calculating every rubber bullet, every step. It’s intolerable, we’re left utterly exposed. The cameras are our kryptonite.”

Occasionally crimes by Israeli occupation soldiers and settlers are caught on video.

But more often they are not. In recent testimonies given to the group Breaking the Silence, Israeli soldiers admitted to horrifying crimes including deliberate and random attacks on Palestinian children, sometimes killing them and sometimes just for amusement.

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israeli-soldiers-say-its-intolerable-they-cant-kill-palestinians-more-freely-due

According to S., orders to open fire address situations of a clear and present danger and only if there is a person with the means and intent to kill. "But what is an angry mob throwing stones and sometimes rocks at you if not a life threatening situation? I wouldn't order opening fire at a crowd of people but we can't have a situation where you stand in front of a person with a rock and start to ask yourself is this person life threatening. If I shoot at him I go to jail."

Clashes in Hebron last week (Photo: Reuters)

T., a combatant in an infantry brigade, also claims that soldiers are not equipped to handle the complex situation on the ground. "There's nothing more humiliating for a combatant than to see his friends run," he says.

He criticizes the army for sending such a small group of soldiers to Qaddum on Friday at a particularly volatile time.

T. says the cameras on the ground undermine the forces' efforts. "A commander or an officer sees a camera and becomes a diplomat, calculating every rubber bullet, every step. It's intolerable, we're left utterly exposed. The cameras are our kryptonite."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4317755,00.html

111 kilometers, one day: A journey from E1 to Tel Aviv

Israel is threatening to bisect the West Bank by building in the E1 area, between the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim and Jerusalem. A photographic journey shot in medium format film – starting east of Jerusalem, through the west of the city and all the way to Tel Aviv – provides portraits of how different rights are extended to different people under Israeli rule.

By Mareike Lauken and Keren Manor

With a population of 39,000 inhabitants, Ma’aleh Adumim is the third largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank. The international community considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law. Around 1,050 Palestinian Jahalin Bedouins were forcibly moved from the area in the late 1990s when the land was annexed to the settlement.

Our journey begins in Ma’aleh Adumim, one of 124 Israeli settlements established in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 1967. With its green lush palm trees, olive tree roundabouts and parks, the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim stands in stark contrast to the surrounding semi-arid environment.

Khan al-Ahmar is a Bedouin encampment in the West Bank, between the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim and Kfar Adumim. The families living in Khan al-Ahmar are from the Jahalin Bedouin tribe who fled from the Negev during the 1948 War. The encampment was slated for demolition in February 2010 due to allegations of illegal buildings.

http://972mag.com/111-kilometers-one-day-a-journey-from-e1-to-tel-aviv/61813/