Exhibiting the usual contempt, the Israel Defence Forces have dismissed the autopsy results on Nadim Seyam Nawara and Mohammed Mahmoud Odeh which determined that live fire was the cause of the teenagers' deaths. Such disdain was also evident in the rhetoric expressed by the UN regarding the killing of the youngsters during protests commemorating the Nakba and expressing solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. The expected denial follows previous claims by an unnamed senior Israeli defence official that the video showing the murders was a fabrication.

Dismissing the findings of the autopsy carried out on Nawara's corpse, the IDF insisted that "only non-lethal dispersal methods" were used by the soldiers. Palestinian demonstrators, it is alleged, "only" faced rubber bullets. An investigation supposedly opened by the IDF has so far been shrouded in the usual secrecy which determines impunity for the perpetrators.

In the absence of any solid details, the Israeli media has attempted to convey the image of an army abiding by international recommendations by quoting US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, whose statement conveyed a semblance of concern which was undermined by her terminology. "We look to the government of Israel to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the facts surrounding this incident," said Psaki, "including whether or not the use of force was proportional to the threat posed by the demonstrators."

Similar to UN rhetoric which disparaged both the murders and Palestinian history of the Nakba, Psaki's comment builds upon the mainstream illusions of a victimised state, Israel, seeking to comply with internationally-recognised norms. However, the statement lacks credibility. The videos, which human rights organisation B'Tselem has made available on its website, do not depict an incident where lethal force could be justified. Disputing the use of live ammunition in this case is just another exercise in manipulating the facts, since the footage established that neither of the murdered Palestinians posed any threat to the IDF, so lethal force was certainly not justified.