Explosive composition.
It's Rememberance Day in Israel today, and the wire services are full of solemn memorial services to the Israeli victims of terrorism [Ed.:--Corrected w/ apologies for the mix-up]. Including this shot, taken by AP stringer Sebastian Scheiner:
With the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the background, Israeli soldiers empty their rifles after a ceremony for Israel's annual Memorial Day at a military cemetery on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, May 9, 2011. Israel marked its Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of militant attacks Monday, with ceremonies and a wailing siren that brought the country to a standstill in two minutes of silence. (AP Photo/Sebestian Scheiner)
Notice the composition carefully -- The soldiers, firing their rifles in rememberance of those who lost their lives to terrorists over the years, are superimposed over the golden Dome of the Rock at al-Aqsa Mosque, a source of frequent outbursts of anti-Jewish anger and terrorism by the muslim world. The implication of this particular visual alignment is even stranger when one considers the fact that the graveyard at which this honor guard is performing their duties is nowhere near al-Aqsa.
Take a look at the AFP shot below, which illustrates exactly how far apart these two locations really are:
Notice the tiny golden circle there?
Yeah, that's the Dome of the Rock. And from where these soldiers are standing, it really is quite a distance away.
Israeli soldiers unload their rifles after a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers at the military cemetery on Mount of Olives overlooking the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem on May 9, 2011. Remembrance Day is followed immediately by the 63rd anniversary of the creation of Israel in 1948 according to the Jewish calendar. AFP PHOTO/GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)
So why did our AP stringer go through so much effort to zoom the dome into the background of their shot? I can safely assume that it's not an innocent accident, as the Dome has very clearly been purposefully enlarged via zoom lens to fit exactly where it did. So if it's not a mistake, why was the photo arranged the way it was?
Every picture tells a story, after all. And from where I'm sitting, this particular story seems to be ginned up to aggravate the Muslim world, and to enflame the passions of Islamic Rage Boys everywhere.
Which makes me wonder: Is the Associated Press really reporting the news in Israel these days? Or are they trying to invent it?
[ Daylife Link | Daylife Link ]
