Israeli officer who killed UK journalist faces minor charges

Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Thursday March 10, 2005

The Israeli army has told the family of a British journalist killed in the Gaza Strip that the soldier responsible will face only minor disciplinary charges, despite the investigators' suspicion that he illegally shot James Miller two years ago.

Miller's widow Sophy said the family intended to bring a civil action for damages against the Israeli army and to seek a judicial review of the decision not to prosecute the soldier for murder.

"I think to keep people waiting for two years only to deliver nothing is an outrage," she said.

"They presented it as if they have gone to every length to secure the truth, that they've left no stone unturned, but at the same time failed to even secure the evidence the night James was killed."

Miller, an award-winning film producer and cameraman, was shot dead in Rafah refugee camp as he and the rest of a documentary team tried to pass by an armoured vehicle.

He was waving a white flag and shouting that he was a journalist, but it was dark. The armoured vehicle's commander, a lieutenant who has not been named, fired 11 bullets, two of which struck Miller in the neck.

In its first account of the killing the army said the armoured vehicle was under fire at the time, but video footage showed this to be untrue. The army altered its version twice more, effectively shifting responsibility to the victim, but these accounts were also shown to be false.

This is about Israel, not anti-semitism
Not to speak out against this injustice would not only be wrong. It would ignore the threat it poses to us all

Ken Livingstone
Friday March 4, 2005

I admire Ken Livingstone. These days anything you say against Israel, automatically gets labelled as anti-semetic and racist. But old Ken doesn't give a shit even though he's the mayor of a city with a fairly big Jewish population. He speaks his mind and infact clarifies his stance on Israel, and differentiates between anti-semitism and opposing Israel's policies in the Middle East.

Most people (myself included) don't have a problem with Jews. I've got a few Jewish mates and we get along perfectly fine. Its Israel that we have a problem with.

Read: This is about Israel; not anti-semitism