Nahum Shahaf
Encyclopedia
Nahum Shahaf is an Israeli physicist
, best known for his role in an October 2000 Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) investigation surrounding the shooting of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Muhammad al-Durrah
. Prior to the investigation, Shahaf had worked with the IDF on the design of unmanned aerial vehicle
s, and had been known primarily as an inventor, having received an Israeli Ministry of Science award for creativity in 1997 for his work on compressed digital video transmission.
degree from Bar-Ilan University
in 1977. Throughout most the 1980s, he worked on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF), which Israeli journalist Amnon Lord
described as placing Shahaf "among the leading developers" of the technology. According to his curriculum vitae, Shahaf worked primarily on UAV optical tracking systems, before shifting his focus to missile systems and inventing over the next decade. In 1997, he received an Israeli Ministry of Science award for creativity for his work on compressed digital video transmission.
was a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, reported to have been shot and killed by Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) gunfire on September 30, 2000. Shahaf, noticing what he considered an anomaly in the video footage of the shooting, contacted Major General Yom Tov Samia, head of the Israel's Southern Command. Shahaf proposed that he and Joseph Doriel, an engineer Shahaf had previously collaborated with on conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
, should investigate the incident. Samia agreed, and on October 23, 2000, Shahaf helped arrange a re-enactment at an IDF shooting range, in front of a CBS 60 Minutes
camera crew. In late November 2000, the investigators concluded, based on the angles and rate of fire, that Israeli troops had probably not shot the boy.
The investigation met with a mixed response. Doriel had been dismissed by Samia during the course of the investigation and when the results were announced, it was strongly criticised by some in the Israeli media. The Israeli newspapers Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post argued that Shahaf had no ballistics experience and Haaretz described his investigation as "dubious." His previous involvement in raising doubts about the identity of Rabin's killer became the subject of controversy. Shahaf, however, pursued the case and devoted years to the matter, having "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." He has promoted a theory that al-Durrah was not killed by the IDF and may still be alive. Following Haaretz's reporting of his work on the al-Durrah case, which editor Gideon Levy
criticised as an "eccentric obsession" in an October 2007 article, Shahaf filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper in December 2007 charging that Haaretz's coverage had "led investors to flee" from one of his inventions and demanding 400 million shekels (US $103 million) in damages. Shahaf describes himself as "a scientist, a physicist specialized in ballistics and the technology of filming images."
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, best known for his role in an October 2000 Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
(IDF) investigation surrounding the shooting of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Muhammad al-Durrah
Muhammad al-Durrah
The Muhammad al-Durrah incident took place in the Gaza Strip on September 30, 2000, on the second day of the Second Intifada, amid widespread rioting throughout the Palestinian territories...
. Prior to the investigation, Shahaf had worked with the IDF on the design of unmanned aerial vehicle
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
s, and had been known primarily as an inventor, having received an Israeli Ministry of Science award for creativity in 1997 for his work on compressed digital video transmission.
Background
Shahaf earned a Master of PhysicsMaster of Physics
A Master of Physics honours degree is a specific master's degree for courses in the field of physics.-United Kingdom:...
degree from Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
in 1977. Throughout most the 1980s, he worked on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
(IDF), which Israeli journalist Amnon Lord
Amnon Lord
Amnon Lord , is an Israeli journalist with the daily newspaper Makor Rishon. His articles and essays about media, film, and politics have been published in The Jerusalem Post, Nativ, Azure, and Achshav. Lord wrote and anchored a TV series about the beginnings of Israeli cinema...
described as placing Shahaf "among the leading developers" of the technology. According to his curriculum vitae, Shahaf worked primarily on UAV optical tracking systems, before shifting his focus to missile systems and inventing over the next decade. In 1997, he received an Israeli Ministry of Science award for creativity for his work on compressed digital video transmission.
Al-Durrah investigation
Muhammad al-DurrahMuhammad al-Durrah
The Muhammad al-Durrah incident took place in the Gaza Strip on September 30, 2000, on the second day of the Second Intifada, amid widespread rioting throughout the Palestinian territories...
was a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, reported to have been shot and killed by Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
(IDF) gunfire on September 30, 2000. Shahaf, noticing what he considered an anomaly in the video footage of the shooting, contacted Major General Yom Tov Samia, head of the Israel's Southern Command. Shahaf proposed that he and Joseph Doriel, an engineer Shahaf had previously collaborated with on conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin assassination conspiracy theories
Yitzhak Rabin assassination conspiracy theories arose almost immediately following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister, on November 4, 1995. The gunman Yigal Amir, a Jewish Israeli student, was apprehended within seconds by other people in the crowd. Rabin died later on...
, should investigate the incident. Samia agreed, and on October 23, 2000, Shahaf helped arrange a re-enactment at an IDF shooting range, in front of a CBS 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
camera crew. In late November 2000, the investigators concluded, based on the angles and rate of fire, that Israeli troops had probably not shot the boy.
The investigation met with a mixed response. Doriel had been dismissed by Samia during the course of the investigation and when the results were announced, it was strongly criticised by some in the Israeli media. The Israeli newspapers Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post argued that Shahaf had no ballistics experience and Haaretz described his investigation as "dubious." His previous involvement in raising doubts about the identity of Rabin's killer became the subject of controversy. Shahaf, however, pursued the case and devoted years to the matter, having "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." He has promoted a theory that al-Durrah was not killed by the IDF and may still be alive. Following Haaretz's reporting of his work on the al-Durrah case, which editor Gideon Levy
Gideon Levy
Gideon Levy is an Israeli journalist.Levy writes opinion pieces and a weekly column for the newspaper Haaretz that often focus on the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories...
criticised as an "eccentric obsession" in an October 2007 article, Shahaf filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper in December 2007 charging that Haaretz's coverage had "led investors to flee" from one of his inventions and demanding 400 million shekels (US $103 million) in damages. Shahaf describes himself as "a scientist, a physicist specialized in ballistics and the technology of filming images."