|
Just a Coincidence: The IDF Murder of James Miller
An Open Letter by Phillip Wearne
Dear All
James had also worked variously as cameraman, producer and director on a number of ground-breaking films, many of which won awards. These included The Dying Rooms, the Chinese orphanages where female babies were dumped by families to be neglected and often die -- a by-product of China's one child policy; Beneath the Veil, the glimpse of life under the Taliban in Afganistan and various films on the reality of war in West and Central Africa, Chechynia and the Balkans. He was working on an HBO film on the effects of the Israeli occupation and military incursions into Gaza and the West Bank at the time of his death. He was a friend of mine who I worked with on both The Betrayed and a number of other productions. |
With great sorrow and some anger, I regret to have to announce the death of James Miller. Some of you who will eventually receive this email knew him, many more of you will have known his work. Most recently he was the Director and Producer of The Betrayed, a chronicle of the Armenian genocide and the Turkish and U.S. governments' denial of that genocide.|
James Miller was shot and killed by fire from an Israeli military armoured personnel carrier in the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip at about 23.30 local time on Friday May 2.
|
The circumstances of his death are quite horrendous. The Israeli military has launched an inquiry having apparently now retreated from its initial assertion that he was caught in crossfire, and the British government, along with the local Foreign Press Association and the Paris-based Reporters without Borders have all demanded an independent inquiry into what happened and why.|
Three of the team left carrying a white flag, a flashlight shone onto the white flag and shouting in both Arabic and English that they were journalists. There had been some communication with these Israeli soldiers previously in Arabic. When the three had walked twenty yards, the Isrealis opened fire, apparently hitting James in the face and neck. All three were wearing bullet-proof suits and helmets clearly marked "Press" and TV. Abdul Rahman Abdullah, the group's Palestinian translator, ran back to the house where two other members of James team and another cameraman who had remained there to call an ambulance.
Apparently they were told the Israelis were letting no ambulances through and eventually receiving no response from the Israeli soldiers to their cries for help and their insistence that James was bleeding profusely, three of the team returned to James, and began carrying him towards the Israeli tanks and APCs. Israeli soldiers then shouted at them to stop but realizing James was in a desperate condition the three continued walking. Two APCs moved towards them and when the group were about 10 yards away ordered them to put James on the front of the APC. They protested but tried to place him on the front but failed as it was so high. James fell more than once. Eventually, Israeli soldiers dismounted and helped them. Sirah Shah, James' reporter, left with him and he was eventually treated at an Israeli military first aid post before being flown to hospital.It is unclear exactly when or where he was pronounced dead. It is clear he bled for 25 minutes before receiving any treatment.
James death comes just days after the Israeli army announced its intention to "crack down" on observers and peace activists in the occupied territories. As you know, one American peace activist, Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in March and Tom Hurndall, a British peace activist, remains in a coma after being shot in the head while trying to rescue Palestinian children coming under Israeli fire. |
Trapped in a house from which he and his team had been filming the demolition of Palestinian houses by an Israeli advance, James and his colleagues decided to make themselves known to the Israelis rather than risk being mistaken for Palestinians militants by remaining in the house or trying to make an exit through the town's back alleyways, which are known to be key Israeli targets.