Aimed at "Demonizing Israel and the Jews", it was "the biggest anti-Semitic hoax of our generation": 25 Years Later, a French Magazine Re-Opens the Wounds of the Al-Durah Scandal

In a special issue on the Al-Durah hoax a quarter of a century years ago, the monthly Causeur reexamines the affair that caused widespread hatred of the Jewish state and Jews themselves.

Last Fall, No Pasarán published an in-depth post on the al Durrah affair which had its start on September 30, 2000 and which the blog has covered over the years: 25 Years Ago — Fate of 12-Year-Old Palestinian Led to 911 Attack and the Invention of the Word Pallywood, 

along with a quote by Philippe Karsenty, who was instrumental in helping to debunk the hoax ("If we ignore how images propagate and mutate, we hand the moral high ground to those who traffic in outrage"). (The post proved to be exactly the 14,000th since the beginning of the blog No Pasarán 21 years earlier.) 

In the current issue of Causeur (Conversationalist), Elisabeth Lévy presents the dossier under the title L’heure des pro-pal (although Karsenty himself would rather elect to call the legions of "Pro-Palestine" protesters the legions of "pro-Hamas" protesters), while Editor Jeremy Stubbs charges that the France 2 television station broadcast antisemitic disinformation, asking Who Killed the Truth? (Affaire Al-Durah, 25 ans après: qui a tué la vérité?).

Notably, Elisabeth Lévy makes some historical comparisons, saying that on

That September 30th [2000], the cameraman also offered his footage to CNN, which declined—out of caution? As for [France 2's Charles] Enderlin, he had no doubt whatsoever. Why would they, given that the child's death lent credence to the mainstream narrative of progressive media: heavily armed soldiers massacring defenseless civilians? If it wasn't true, it was a clever fabrication.

 … It is a scoop of a global nature. "Little Mohamed" is the face of innocence destroyed by Israeli-Jewish barbarity. On October 12, two Israeli soldiers who had strayed into Ramallah were lynched to cries of "Revenge for Al-Durah!" In the Arab world [as in places like university campuses and Hollywood], the bloodied hands that their killer presented to the cheering crowd becomes a symbol of glory.

 … Catherine Nay [states] that the image of Mohamed "erases, cancels out" that of the Jewish child in the Warsaw ghetto held at gunpoint by SS officers. At least that's clarity for you.

 … The Al-Durah affair, which has by now become known as the Enderlin affair, is also a textbook example of how the media party operates, rising up as one against anyone who threatens its best interests. The anti-Dreyfusards and the communists thought no differently.

Naturally, Karsenty is interviewed in the magazine — by Gil Mihaely — as he is on Radio Shalom (94.8FM), where it transpires that he is demanding to testify before France's Assemblée Nationale (video below).

Aimed at "Demonizing Israel and the Jews", he says, the Al-Durra affair was "the biggest anti-Semitic hoax of our generation." (More Karsenty quotes at the No Pasarán post from September 30.)

Presenting the dossier, Jeremy Stubbs writes: 

On September 30, 2000, France 2 broadcast a report showing the death of young Mohamed Al-Durah at the hands of the IDF in Gaza. This global scoop was a boon for Israel's enemies, who have exploited it ad nauseam for 25 years for their antisemitic propaganda. But incoherent and incomplete, it also raised doubts among many observers. While one of them, Philippe Karsenty, was convicted of defamation, the public broadcaster has still not proven the veracity of its footage. As Élisabeth Lévy stated when introducing our special report: "The Al-Durah affair is also a textbook example of how the media establishment operates, rising up as one against anyone who threatens its interests. The anti-Dreyfusards and the communists thought no differently." Karsenty's well-documented investigation showed that the image of Mohamed Al-Durah killed in his father's arms, which became an icon of the Palestinian cause and a justification for "anti-Zionism," was a staged event. 

Interviewed by Gil Mihaely, Philippe Karsenty called this report "the biggest anti-Semitic hoax of our generation." Michaël Prazan, speaking with Élisabeth Lévy and Jean-Baptiste Roques, pointed out that the accusation of ritual murder against Jews appeared in antiquity before becoming, in every era and across the globe, the pretext for horrific pogroms. Lawyers Gilles-William Goldnadel and Aude Weill-Raynal recounted the nine-year trial that ended with Philippe Karsenty's conviction. The court did not question its methodical analysis of the France 2 footage but applied defamation law to the letter, a "technical" judgment that does not serve historical truth. A left-wing Jew and wounded Zionist, Claude Askolovitch continues to believe that little Mohamed died under the bullets of the IDF. But rather than making him a symbol or the banner of a cause, he wants to restore his individuality. For Pierre-André Taguieff, the misleading images of "little Mohamed," with their antisemitic undertones, are akin to "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and the Dreyfus Affair. As for the numerous journalists who chose to broadcast them without critical distance, they reveal the devastating corporatism of their profession. 

The editor of Causeur goes on to present the rest of issue # 142:

In her monthly editorial, Elisabeth Lévy comments on the operations of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in the United States, which, on this side of the Atlantic, are provoking opposing reactions: praise from the right, condemnation from the left. Moreover, the left is seizing the opportunity to use the N-word (N for Nazi) and demonize President Trump. Certainly, no one wants to see innocent people die at the hands of a trigger-happy police force, but France has proven incapable of reducing migration flows, so that "our borders are like sieves." Her conclusion: "If force without law is a tyrant's fantasy, law without force is a child's dream."

Jeremy Stubbs : 

Le 30 septembre 2000, France 2 diffuse un reportage présentant la mort du petit Mohamed Al-Durah sous les balles de Tsahal à Gaza. Ce scoop mondial est une aubaine pour les ennemis d’Israël, qui l’exploitent ad nauseam depuis 25 ans pour leur propagande antisémite. Mais incohérent et tronqué, il a aussi suscité les doutes de nombreux observateurs. Si l’un d’eux, Philippe Karsenty, a été condamné pour diffamation, la chaîne publique n’a toujours pas prouvé la véracité de ses images. Comme le dit Élisabeth Lévy en présentant notre dossier spécial : « L’affaire Al-Durah est aussi un cas d’école du fonctionnement du parti des Médias qui se dresse comme un seul homme contre quiconque menace l’intérêt supérieur du Parti. Les antidreyfusards et les communistes ne pensaient pas différemment ». L’enquête étayée de Karsenty montrait que l’image de Mohamed Al-Durah tué dans les bras de son père, qui est devenue une icône de la cause palestinienne et une justification de l’« antisionisme », était une mise en scène.

Interviewé par Gil Mihaely, Philippe Karsenty qualifie ce reportage de « plus grand faux antisémite de notre génération ». Michaël Prazan, se confiant à Élisabeth Lévy et Jean-Baptiste Roques, rappelle que l’accusation contre les Juifs de crime rituel apparaît dans l’Antiquité avant d’être à toutes les époques et sous tous les cieux lle prétexte d’effroyables pogromes. Les avocats Gilles-William Goldnadel et Aude Weill-Raynal reviennent sur les neuf ans de procès qui se sont terminés par la condamnation de Philippe Karsenty. La Justice n’a pas remis en cause son analyse méthodique des images de France 2 mais a appliqué à la lettre le droit de la diffamation, un jugement « technique » qui ne sert pas la vérité historique. Juif de gauche et sioniste blessé, Claude Askolovitch continue de penser que le petit Mohamed est mort sous les balles de Tsahal. Mais plutôt qu’en faire un symbole ou l’étendard d’une cause, il veut lui rendre sa singularité. Pour Pierre-André Taguieff, les images trompeuses du « petit Mohamed » s’apparentent, par leur charge antisémite, aux « Protocoles des sages de Sion » et à l’affaire Dreyfus. Quant aux nombreux journalistes qui ont préféré les relayer sans distance critique, ils nous informent sur le corporatisme dévastateur de leur profession.

Dans son édito du mois, Elisabeth Lévy commente les opérations de l’ICE (la police de l’Immigration et des Douanes) aux États-Unis qui, de ce côté de l’Atlantique, suscitent des réactions opposées : louanges à droite, condamnation à gauche. De surcroît, la gauche en profite pour sortir le N-word (N comme nazi) et diaboliser le président Trump. Certes, personne ne souhaite voir des innocents mourir sous les balles d’une police à la gâchette facile, mais la France s’est montrée incapable de réduire les flux migratoires, de sorte que « nos frontières sont des passoires ». Conclusion : « si la force sans le droit est un fantasme de tyran, le droit sans la force est un rêve d’enfant ».

Lire votre magazine

 … Certes, les mauvaises manières de Donald Trump scandalisent les Européens mais, selon mon analyse, il ne fait que perpétuer la vieille tradition américaine d’ingérences qui s’inscrit désormais dans une mondialisation des conflits. Les grandes puissances sont en concurrence sur tout et partout sur terre.

  Gaza : affaire AI Dura, Philippe Karsenty veut être auditionné par l'assemblée nationale  

 

Radio Shalom 94.8

Feb 6, 2026

Porte-parole du comité Trump France, Philippe Karsenty est l'homme qui a porté l'affaire Al Dura pendant des années. Aujourd'hui, il demande à être auditionné par la commission d'enquête sur l'audiovisuel public de l'Assemblée nationale pour dénoncer France Télévision.

 

Ice crime par Elisabeth Lévy 

Après les drames survenus à Minneapolis, la police de l’Immigration et des Douanes est comparée à la Gestapo. Qu’il est bon de résister sans danger.

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Quel est le point commun entre une nonagénaire niçoise effroyablement violée par un Tunisien sous OQTF et un infirmier américain tué par la police de l’Immigration et des Douanes [ICE]