Israel Matzav

France: The Al-Dura Defamation Case and the End of Free Speech

At WorldPoliticsWatch, John Rosenthal does an excellent review of the al-Dura controversy in France, complete with links to many of the television segments in question. The bottom line is

... what is most notable about the court's ruling against Karsenty is that such a matter has come before the courts at all. It should be recalled that neither Charles Enderlin, nor, needless to say, the France2 executives in Paris, were present in Netzarim to witness the events at issue. They are thus no more in a position definitively to "affirm" that the scene was authentic than the Mena and its supporters are in a position definitively to affirm that it was staged. In both cases, we are dealing with just more or less plausible hypotheses. In a free society, such controversies are the stuff of public debate: with individuals being at liberty to form -- and express -- their convictions as they see fit. In France in 2006, this is evidently not the case.

And in Israel, we silently allow our defense forces to be libelled.

Hat Tip: Solomonia

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:05 PM