Kempler video

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Kempler video is a film made by Roni Kempler while standing initially nearby the convicted murderer Yigal Amir and later on the roof of the Gan Ha'ir-mall overlooking the scene at the northeast side of the City Hall of Tel Aviv-Yafo before and during the assassination of Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995 in Tel Aviv.

[edit] The video and its maker

The filmmaker was the Israeli amateur photographer Roni Kempler, who frequently covered events with his private camera looking for a special angle. After lengthy negotiations with the maker and almost two months after the Rabin assassination, the Israeli Channel showed the non-static parts of this amateur film with commentary. In his sole television appearance the night his film was broadcast, Roni Kempler explained that he wasn't interested in making money. It was quickly discovered that Roni Kempler was an accountant at the State Comptroller's Office.

The Kempler video was shown two times on Channel 2 in late December 1995, after it acquired the rights and prepared it for broadcast. According to reports Roni Kempler received $350,000 from the Channel 2 News Corporation for his video footage. The sum or most of it was recovered by selling the rights for broadcasting it to other news channels.

The complete version with the commentary in Hebrew by reporters of Israeli Channel 2 is available through Google Video (see links). A video blurb with the shootout is available from CNN.com (see links).

The Kempler video was used as evidence during the trial of Yigal Amir as well as by the independent judicial Shamgar Commission, which researched the security failures of Yitzhak Rabin's guards. Partially based on the Kempler video, the Shamgar Commission concluded that Amir was guilty and that Carmi Gillon, head of the Shabak should be removed from his position.

[edit] Use by conspiracy theorists

See article Yitzhak Rabin assassination conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories on the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, disagreeing with the court decisions and the independent research committee and the mainstream press, have become popular on "alternative media" outlets, such as www.rotter.net and with some of the Israeli right-wing public. These theories also have an alternative reading of the video that assisted the Shamgar Commission to conclude Amir's guilt. With respect to the video these theories make some or all the following claims:

The camera was trained to the area of action before any action occurred.
A security guard is seen stepping aside to give Amir a clear shot.
Amir appears to shoot with a different arm than he used when reenacting the shooting for the police.
Sloppy doctoring of the film is self-evident in the video, where Amir's arm is seen unnaturally elongated.
The flash from Amir's gun as seen in the video is inconsistent with the type of firearm allegedly employed by Amir.
Rabin's reaction to Amir's shots is incongruous with the wounds reportedly sustained by Rabin.

See also: Zapruder film