Thousands mourn Palestinian journalist who was killed by Israeli forces

by Aysha Qamar

The world mourned when Shireen Abu Akleh, a renowned Palestinian journalist, died on Wednesday. Headlines across the globe highlighted her accomplishments and work as a “journalist for the people.” Despite the widespread coverage, many media outlets have been criticized for their lack of accuracy when reporting on her death. Al Jazeera and other outlets called out western media for their failure to call Abu Akleh’s death a murder and even worse, their failure to call out Israeli officials for their lack of investigation into the incident. Outlets were labeled “whitewashed” for failing to mention how exactly she died.

According to Al Jazeera, Abu Akleh was killed by a live bullet Wednesday while reporting on an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Witnesses and the Palestinian health ministry noted that Abu Akleh was with other journalists when she was killed, and was even wearing a clearly visible vest labeled “PRESS.” Another Al Jazeera journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, was also wounded by a bullet but he is now in stable condition. The head of the medicine department at al-Najah University in Nablus confirmed that Abu Akleh was shot in the head, Al Jazeera reported.

Her body was carried out of the university draped in a Palestinian flag, and she was then taken to Istishari Hospital in Ramallah, where thousands gathered to mourn her.

Palestinian American Abu Akleh worked for Al Jazeera for more than 25 years and made herself a well-known name by focusing on the violence occurring in Palestine.

“I chose journalism to be close to the people,” she said in a short reel shared by Al Jazeera moments after she was killed on Wednesday by gunfire in the West Bank. “It might not be easy to change the reality, but at least I was able to bring their voice to the world.”

Her colleagues had nothing but praise for her, noting that she remained committed to all issues affecting Palestinians, despite the danger inherent in her work.

Mohammed Daraghmeh, the Ramallah bureau chief for the Arabic language news outlet Asharq News, shared that he had spoken to Abu Akleh two days before her death. When he told her the events in Jenin weren’t important enough for someone like her to cover, she insisted otherwise.

“But she went anyway,” he said. “She covered the story the way it should be done.”

Journalists present during her death shared that despite Israeli forces claiming that Abu Akleh could have been shot by Palestinian fighters, no Palestinian fighters were present when the journalists were shot.

“We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” al-Samoudi said.

“The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen … there was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene.”

According to CBS News, the Israeli Army admitted on Friday that it is possible Abu Akleh was “possibly or mistakenly” killed by Israeli fire.

To make matters even worse, police officers in Jerusalem beat mourners walking next Abu Akleh’s coffin during her funeral procession on Friday. As a result, her coffin was almost dropped.

Video of the incident has gone viral, as mourners can be seen being beaten with batons. According to The New York Times, Abu Akleh was taken to be buried in Mount Zion Protestant Cemetery, next to her parents.

According to CNN, mourners who were carrying Abu Akleh’s coffin out of the hospital were met with such strong resistance from the Israeli police that they had to transfer the coffin to a car rather than carry it on foot. CNN reporters said a flash bomb and tear gas were even fired at mourners.

The Israeli police claimed in a statement that prior to the funeral’s start, the mourners themselves incited violence and allegedly threw stones at the police.

“We’re all still shocked when we saw the Israeli [police] moving into the courtyard of the hospital, beating mourners. Her coffin almost fell to the ground,” said Al Jazeera English’s Stefanie Dekker. She was present at the cemetery where Abu Akleh was laid to rest.

As calls for investigations continue, the fact remains that if an Israeli soldier is found responsible, it wouldn’t be the first time the country’s military has targeted the press. According to the Palestinian Journalism Syndicate, Israel has killed more than 50 Palestinian journalists since 2001. Reporters Without Borders has also reported that more than 144 journalists have been injured in the past four years. “In terms of the event itself, unfortunately, it is not unique, not different,” said Saleh Hijazi, the deputy director of Amnesty International’s Middle East program. “It fits a pattern, a pattern of unlawful killing, and also a pattern of targeting journalists and human rights defenders.”