AFP photographer captures striking images from West Bank attack

An AFP photographer on Friday found himself witnessing a deadly attack on Israeli soldiers while on his way to an assignment in the occupied West Bank, managing to capture the grisly scene as the crossfire unfolded around him. The attack by Palestinian gunmen near Hebron killed two Israeli soldiers. The two attackers also died. Veteran journalist Hazem Bader had been planning to cover the Palestinians' olive harvest, a flashpoint for tensions in the Israeli-occupied territory.

He was driving from his home in Hebron to Beit Jala to meet at 8:30 am (0530 GMT) at a hotel with peace activists who would go to the fields with Palestinians in hopes of protecting them from settler violence. As he was about 300 metres (yards) away from a checkpoint, Bader said he saw people running and speaking of a shooting at the crossing. "So I kept driving and I found a safe place. I put on my flak jacket and a helmet and hid behind my car, which I parked behind two big trucks for added protection," he said.

Bader, 60, said he took out his camera and began to photograph the firefight. "After two or maybe three minutes I saw the shooters fall to the ground. I don't know if they were dead immediately or injured," he said. His photos showed in close detail the gunmen as they were still firing and then lifeless on the ground as Israeli troops came out in force to the scene near a petrol station. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a massive response to the attack, which came four days before Israeli elections.

As the AFP photos of the attack gained attention, several Israeli media outlets, without citing named sources, said incorrectly that the Israeli military was investigating whether the photographer had a tipoff on the attack. The military told AFP that no investigation was underway. The Jerusalem Post, citing unnamed police officials, also reported that the AFP photographer was not under suspicion. The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media covering Israel and the Palestinian territories, said it was "deeply alarmed" by false media reports about Bader.

"He is a longtime professional who was on his way to another assignment and courageously documented what he saw in keeping with his professional duties," it said. "Any suggestion to the contrary is baseless, inflammatory and puts journalists working to keep the world informed at risk." sct/acc/jfx