Summary
My mission was to create a single-frame infographic, as quickly as possible, that presented a definitive depiction of (1) how and where a beloved Israeli military officer was killed, (2) who perpetrated it, and (3) the actual sequence of events. The ultimate purpose of this infographic would be to help the IDF Spokesperson’s Office correct the false, inflammatory version of these events that had been fed to, and echoed by supposedly nonpartisan, mainstream world “news” organizations, led by Reuters.
Background of the “tree-trimming” firefight between the Lebanese and Israeli militaries
On August 3, 2010, Lt. Col. Dov Harari, a beloved veteran of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and beloved father of four, was supervising the trimming of trees on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border. The purpose of this activity was to prevent Hezbollah terrorists who infiltrate the border from being able to hide behind any objects, in their repeated efforts to kidnap more IDF soldiers – an act that triggered the 2006 war.
Without any kind of provocation, a Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) sniper, 600 meters to the northeast, on Lebanese soil, delivered a single shot to Harari’s forehead, killing him instantly.
Reuters was the first to report on the incident — and falsely claimed that Harari’s death was the result of an IDF incursion into Lebanese territory, to trim a tree, which resulted in a cross-border firefight:
A photo taken by a Reuters stringer, which (falsely) alleges that the “tree-trimming” incident occurred on Lebanese soil, and that this wrongful act cause the LAF to respond violently.
Soon thereafter, however, it was discovered that the entire story was false; that in fact:
(1) Both Harari and the tree were on Israel’s side of the border.
(2) The IDF had scheduled this activity well in advance with U.N. and Lebanese authorities.
(3) An LAF general later openly admitted that he gave the sniper the order to fire. Even the U.N., not typically prone to side with Israel on anything, confirmed that this incident occurred entirely on Israeli territory.
Lebanon’s prime minister then issued a statement, standing by his general — and threatening more violence against Israel. The IDF replied by announcing that any further Lebanese violence would be met with a swift, punishing response. Hezbollah, suspected of orchestrating the ambush, celebrated Harari’s murder as a “heroic confrontation,” then threatened to “cut off the arm” of Lebanon’s enemies.
The “before” infographic, and my reaction to it
The graphic below, produced by an unknown party, was being utilized on numerous Israel-supporting blogs and the IDF website, to try to establish the fact that the trees being trimmed were on Israeli territory:
I felt that this graphic was severely inadequate for its purpose, and left too much to ambiguity. Further, upon (a) realizing that the same “news” media that accepted and broadcast the false depiction of what happened was not going to correct it with the same prominence or enthusiasm, and (b) speculating that unless something was done fast, Lt. Col. Harari’s assassination – and Lebanon’s responsibility for it – would soon be forgotten, I decided that I had to act.
The “after” infographic
I reached out to a contact within the Israeli government who was familiar with the specifics of this event. After analyzing the available data over 10-12 hours, in the following days I created this infographic:
Soon after, my infographic was being distributed through back channels to the major “news” organizations that perpetrated this fraud.
It is my hope that this infographic will also serve as a helpful tool for Lt. Col. Harari’s family, should they decide to sue the government of Lebanon for his murder.