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Monday, March 10, 2008

Staged Gaza photos of the day

AP's Gaza photographer Eyad Baba published a series of pictures showing how barbaric Israeli airstrikes are:


Palestinian children play on the ruins of a building destroyed in a recent Israeli air strike, in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, March 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)


A Palestinian walks through the ruins of a building destroyed in a recent Israeli air strike, in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, March 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)


A Palestinian boy looks on as he stands in the ruins of a building destroyed in a recent Israeli air strike, in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, March 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)


A Palestinian rides his bicycle past the ruins of a building destroyed in a recent Israeli air strike, in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, March 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)


Palestinian children play on the ruins of a building destroyed in a recent Israeli air strike, in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, March 10, 2008.



Any photographer knows that a picture of a building by itself has no soul. One needs to add people to make it interesting.

Now, it is entirely possible that Mr. Baba, knowing that he wants to get a good shot, would wait for just the right moment that people happen to walk past some ruins before clicking his shutter. But here we have five pictures of buildings - all with people in and around them! What a fortunate coincidence!

Either Gazans really like to play and examine dangerous buildings that can collapse at any time, or the photographer asked them to please walk/play/ride their bike/stand right where the photo would be the most likely to win an award - and make Israel look as awful as possible.

After all, he must illustrate that everyday normal innocent Palestinian Arabs are forced to live next to buildings that were inexplicably, randomly destroyed for no reason at all that AP can find.