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{{short description|Israeli physicist}}
'''Nahum Shahaf''' ({{lang-he|נחום שחף}}; born June 2, 1946<ref>Israeli Census - Verified March 23, 2010</ref>) is an Israeli ] and current president Natop, an electro-optics and image enhancement company he founded.<ref name="res">{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}} </ref> He was one of the leading developers of Israel's ]s,<ref name="Lord"></ref> and received an ] award for creativity in 1997 for his work on ] transmission.<ref>: "Before getting involved in the al-Dura case, Shahaf was known mainly as an inventor. He was only the tenth person to receive a medal from the Israeli Ministry of Science, for his work on computerized means of compressing digital video transmission."</ref> He is possibly best known for his role in an October 2000 ] (IDF) investigation into the controversial shooting incident of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, ] for which he was awarded the 2007 Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism.<ref>{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}} </ref>
'''Nahum Shahaf''' ({{langx|he|נחום שחף}}) is an Israeli ] who specializes in ballistics and film technology.<ref name="Guysen"/>


==Background== ==Biography==
Nahum Shahaf earned a ] degree from ] in 1977. Throughout most of the 1980s, he worked on ] (UAVs) for the ] (IDF), which Israeli journalist ] described as placing Shahaf "among the leading developers" of the technology.<ref name="Lord"/> According to his ], Shahaf worked primarily on UAV optical tracking systems, before shifting his focus to missile systems and inventing over the next decade.<ref name="cv"/> In 1997, he received an ] award for creativity for his work on compressed digital video transmission.<ref name=Fallows />
Shahaf served as an ] (IDF) ] from 1964 to 1966. He attended ] from 1970 to 1977, where he completed his ] and ] degrees in ] with ]. After graduating, he spent two years as a member of the ] development team at ] and was in charge of incorporating the CT technology into ].<ref name="cv">{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}} </ref> From 1981 to 1988, he worked at ] on ] and video instrumentation for the IDF and was among the field's leading developers.<ref name="cv" /><ref name=Fallows></ref><ref name="Lord"></ref> He then worked on attack helicopter missile systems at ] from 1989 to 1991.<ref name="cv" /> Shahaf has also served as a physicist for the optical intelligence unit of the IDF.<ref name="Lord"></ref> In 1991, he founded Natop, an electro-optics and image enhancement company.<ref name="res">{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}} </ref>


⚫ ==Al-Durrah investigation==
Shahaf received, along with fellow scientist ], an 1997 ] Fellowship and an award for creativity in for their work on compressed digital video transmission.<ref name=Fallows>.</ref>
] was a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, reported to have been shot and killed by ] (IDF) gunfire on September 30, 2000. Shahaf, noticing what he considered an anomaly in the video footage of the shooting, contacted Major General ], head of the ].<ref name="CordesmanMoravitz"/> Shahaf proposed that he and Joseph Doriel, an engineer Shahaf had previously collaborated with on ], should investigate the incident.<ref name="Cygielman"/> Samia agreed, and on October 23, 2000, Shahaf helped arrange a re-enactment at an IDF shooting range, in front of a CBS '']'' 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.<ref name="CNN"/>


Israeli newspapers ''Haaretz'' and the ''Jerusalem Post'' claimed that Shahaf had no ballistics experience and ''Haaretz'' described the investigation as "dubious."<ref name="Cygielman"/> His previous involvement in raising doubts about the identity of Rabin's killer became the subject of controversy.<ref name="Schwartz"/> Shahaf, however, claims he spent months painstakingly collecting footage from reluctant cameramen and splicing the pieces together in rough temporal order to create an unbroken film of the day.<ref name="Gutmann"/> Shahaf believes that al-Durrah was not killed by the IDF and may still be alive.<ref name="TempleRaston"/>
⚫ == Al-Durrah investigation==
{{main|Muhammad al-Durrah incident}}
In 2000, Shahaf approached IDF ] Major General ] and proposed an investigation of the al-Durrah shooting. Samia agreed, and on October 23, 2000, Shahaf helped to arrange a re-enactment of the shooting on an IDF shooting range, in front of a CBS '']'' camera crew. In late November 2000, at the conclusion of the inquiry, General Samia presented his findings at a press conference.<ref name="CNN">{{dead link|Date=March 2010}} AP - November 27, 2000</ref> The IDF accepted the investigations' determination that Israeli soldiers were not responsible but refused to accept the suggestion that the images may have been staged.


In December 2007, following ''Haaretz's'' report on his work, which op-ed writer ] described as an "eccentric obsession," <ref name="Levy"/> Shahaf filed a ] lawsuit against the newspaper charging that ''Haaretz's'' coverage had caused investors to back out of financing one of his inventions. He filed for 400 million ] (US$103 million) in damages.<ref name="Lawsuit"/>
Initial response to the investigation was critical. Israeli newspaper Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post argued that Shahaf had no ballistics experience, and Haaretz described his investigation as "dubious."<ref name=Cygielman>.</ref><ref> "media conspiracy theory ... troops could not have shot the child" The Age (Australia), 26th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref> "the fountainhead of al-Dura conspiracy mania" Jerusalem Post, 28th May 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref>Derfner, Larry . Shahaf "pioneered ... conspiracy theory after cutting his teeth on the Rabin assassination" Jerusalem Post, 18th June 2008. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref><ref> "eccentric obsession .. also obtained "amazing material" on the murder of Yitzhak Rabin" Haaretz, 7th Oct 2007. Verified 23rd Oct 2008.</ref> In response to criticism on his credentials and experience, Shahaf responded that he is "a scientist, a physicist specialized in ballistics and the technology of filming images."<ref name="Guysen">] interviews Nahum Shahaf]<br>()</ref> Shahaf is currently suing Haaretz for libel.<ref>{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}} </ref>


⚫ ==References==
Shahaf's investigation into the incident was later supported by an external French ballistics expert and 2 investigative documentaries by German network ARD. The original "raw" footage was presented in French courts in late 2007 in the midst of a libel suit filed by France 2 against a French media critique, Phillip Karsenty, resulting in the court asserting that the original report has not been properly established. Follow up reports on the al-Durrah incident break-down into those who agree with Shahaf's main analysis, that the original news report, which asserted the death of the boy was inflicted by Israeli bullets, was faulty; and those asserting that the investigation into the matter is a "conspiracy mania". Journalist ] writes that:
⚫ {{reflist|refs=
<blockquote>"It now appears that the boy cannot have died in the way reported by most of the world's media and fervently believed throughout the Islamic world. Whatever happened to him, he was not shot by the Israeli soldiers who were known to be involved in the day's fighting—or so I am convinced, after spending a week in Israel talking with those examining the case."<ref name=Fallows/></blockquote>


<ref name=Fallows>.</ref>
===Media criticism award===
Shahaf received the ''2007 Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism'' from '']'' association ({{lang-he|האגודה לזכות הציבור לדעת}}),<ref>{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}} </ref> for what the awarding panel described as "revealing the truth behind news fabrications" in relation to the Al-Durrah incident.<ref></ref><ref>{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}} {{dead link|date=March 2010}} זוכי פרס ביקורת התקשורת: שחף וקרבצ'יק</ref><ref>{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}} פרסים מטעם האגודה לזכות הציבור לדעת ליבגניה קרבצ'יק, נחום שחף וגיא רולניק</ref>


<ref name="Lord"></ref>
==Notes==
⚫ {{reflist|2}}


<ref name="cv">{{in lang|he}}<!--Hebrew--> </ref>
⚫ ==References==

⚫ * Cygielman, Anat (2000). , ''Haaretz'', November 7, 2000, accessed March 22, 2010.
<ref name="CordesmanMoravitz">{{cite book|last1=Cordesman|first1=Anthony|last2=Moravitz|first2=Jennifer|title=The Israeli-Palestinian war: escalating to nowhere|page=372|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2005|isbn=978-0-275-98758-9}}</ref>
⚫ *] (2003). , ''The Atlantic'', June 2003, accessed March 21, 2010.

<ref name="Cygielman">.</ref>

<ref name="CNN"> AP - November 27, 2000 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215034538/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/meast/11/27/israel.boys.death.ap/ |date=February 15, 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="Schwartz">Schwartz, Adi (2007). "", ''Haaretz'', November 8, 2007, accessed January 24, 2010.</ref>

<ref name="Levy">Levy, Gideon. . ''Haaretz'', October 7, 2007, accessed October 23, 2008.</ref>

<ref name="Gutmann">''The other war: Israelis, Palestinians, and the struggle for media supremacy'', Stephanie Gutmann, Encounter Books, 2005, p. 75.</ref>

<ref name="TempleRaston">{{cite news|last=Temple-Raston|first=Dina|title=Engineer Casts Doubt on Veracity of Claims That Israelis Killed Palestinian Boy in 2000|url=http://www.nysun.com/foreign/engineer-casts-doubt-on-veracity-of-claims-that/10581/|work=The New York Sun|date=March 15, 2005}}</ref>

<ref name="Lawsuit">{{cite news|title=400 million lawsuit against Haaretz|url=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/4/ART1/667/290.html|work=NRG|language=Hebrew|date=December 5, 2007}}</ref>

<ref name="Guysen"> ] interviews Nahum Shahaf ()</ref>

}}

===Bibliography===
⚫ *Cygielman, Anat (2000). , ''Haaretz'', November 7, 2000, accessed March 22, 2010.
⚫ *] (2003). , ''The Atlantic'', June 2003, accessed March 21, 2010.


==External websites== ==External links==
⚫ *
⚫ * {{in lang|he}}<!--Hebrew-->
⚫ * {{in lang|he}}<!--Hebrew-->


{{Authority control}}
⚫ *
*
⚫ *{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}}
⚫ *{{languageicon|he|Hebrew}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Shahaf, Nahum}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Shahaf, Nahum}}
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Latest revision as of 19:13, 31 October 2024

Israeli physicist

Nahum Shahaf (Hebrew: נחום שחף) is an Israeli physicist who specializes in ballistics and film technology.

Biography

Nahum Shahaf earned a Master of Physics degree from Bar-Ilan University in 1977. Throughout most of 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.

Al-Durrah investigation

Muhammad al-Durrah 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.

Israeli newspapers Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post claimed that Shahaf had no ballistics experience and Haaretz described the investigation as "dubious." His previous involvement in raising doubts about the identity of Rabin's killer became the subject of controversy. Shahaf, however, claims he spent months painstakingly collecting footage from reluctant cameramen and splicing the pieces together in rough temporal order to create an unbroken film of the day. Shahaf believes that al-Durrah was not killed by the IDF and may still be alive.

In December 2007, following Haaretz's report on his work, which op-ed writer Gideon Levy described as an "eccentric obsession," Shahaf filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper charging that Haaretz's coverage had caused investors to back out of financing one of his inventions. He filed for 400 million shekels (US$103 million) in damages.

References

  1. The Mohamad A-Dura affair: a gross imposture? MENA interviews Nahum Shahaf (Copy)
  2. Who Killed Muhammad Al-Dura? Blood Libel-- Model 2000 Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Amnon Lord 15 July 2002
  3. (in Hebrew) נחום שחף - קורות חיים
  4. Fallows 2003.
  5. Cordesman, Anthony; Moravitz, Jennifer (2005). The Israeli-Palestinian war: escalating to nowhere. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 372. ISBN 978-0-275-98758-9.
  6. ^ Cygielman 2000.
  7. Israel claims Palestinian gunmen may have shot boy in high-profile killing AP - November 27, 2000 Archived February 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Schwartz, Adi (2007). "In the footsteps of the al-Dura controversy", Haaretz, November 8, 2007, accessed January 24, 2010.
  9. The other war: Israelis, Palestinians, and the struggle for media supremacy, Stephanie Gutmann, Encounter Books, 2005, p. 75.
  10. Temple-Raston, Dina (March 15, 2005). "Engineer Casts Doubt on Veracity of Claims That Israelis Killed Palestinian Boy in 2000". The New York Sun.
  11. Levy, Gideon. Mohammed al-Dura lives on. Haaretz, October 7, 2007, accessed October 23, 2008.
  12. "400 million lawsuit against Haaretz". NRG (in Hebrew). December 5, 2007.

Bibliography

External links

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