Guardian gratuitous anti-Israel photo of the day (& a story about the photojournalist behind the lens)

So, you decide to enjoy the Guardian’s photo story, 24 hours in pictures, Dec. 12, and you’re treated to what is described as “a selection of the best images from around the world”, illustrating the international tapestry of religious, national, and ethnic diversity.

First (in a series of 14 photos), we’re off to Europe, where we’re treated to a stunning shot of a Bulgarian Muslim couple posing in front of their house during their wedding ceremony.

Then, turning to Southeast Asia, we see a young Burmese girl waiting for her mother to finish work at a construction site.

Further images glimpse life in the UK, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, China, India, Congo, Austria and Croatia, but not before a brief detour to one country in the Middle East.

Here’s the photo Guardian editors chose to depict a day in the life of Israel.

The caption reads:

“Nabi Saleh, West Bank: Israeli soldiers arrest a protester during clashes following the funeral of Mustafa Tamimi, who was shot with a teargas canister.”

The image of Israelis is the only representation in the photo series which shows an individual nation in negative light.

Note the image’s depiction of an innocent keffiyeh wearing “activist” juxtaposed with two faceless Israeli soldiers – weapons in hand.

The photographer who took the shot is a German named Oliver Weiken.

Weiken features prominently in the following documentary (posted at Columbia Journalism Review), focusing on the ways that photojournalists are always part of the story of repetitive Palestinian protests: Protesters, Israeli security forces, and photographers all regularly repeat such rituals – what one photographer in the video called “an ongoing story performing itself every week.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UMkXBwpkyU&feature=youtu.be]

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