How exactly journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who is well known in the Arab world, died was initially unclear on Wednesday. The Israeli army reported a fierce firefight involving dozens of Palestinian militants during a raid in Jenin.
Abbas speaks of “execution”
The 51-year-old may have been hit by Palestinian bullets, it said. Al-Jazeera, on the other hand, accused Israel of targeted, cold-blooded murder. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also spoke of a “crime of execution”.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the journalist – who was also a US citizen – was fatally wounded in the head by gunfire. Another journalist from the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds, who also works for Al-Jazeera, was also shot in the incident.
This second reporter who was injured made serious allegations against the Israeli security forces: “They killed them in cold blood,” said Ali Samoodi. The Israelis suddenly opened fire. Reporters were not asked to stop filming and leave. “They shot at us. One bullet hit me and another hit Shireen,” said Samoodi, who was being treated at a hospital in Jenin.
Israel, on the other hand, blames Palestinian fighters for the journalist’s death. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett denied Abbas’ allegations; they would not have a “solid base”. “According to the information we have, it is likely that armed Palestinians, who were shooting indiscriminately at the time, were responsible for the journalist’s unfortunate death,” Bennett said.
The United Nations Middle East envoy, Tor Wennesland, condemned the bloody deed and called for “an immediate and full investigation”. US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides tweeted that it was “very sad to hear of the death of the American-Palestinian journalist. He encourages a thorough investigation. The US Embassy in Jerusalem said Abu Akleh had been reporting from the Middle East and beyond for more than two decades. She has enjoyed great respect from “many Palestinians and others around the world”.
The Arab League blamed “Israeli bullets” for the journalist’s death and also called for an investigation. Qatar, where the broadcaster Al-Jazeera is based, explicitly turned against Israel. The Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that Qatar “strongly condemns the assassination (of the journalist) by Israeli occupying forces.”
Al-Jazeera wrote that the reporter covered the raid while wearing a vest with “Press” clearly written on it. The Palestinian from East Jerusalem has been working for the Qatari broadcaster for more than 20 years. She was particularly well known in the Arab world for her reporting on the Middle East conflict.
Al-Jazeera condemned the fatal shooting as “a heinous crime aimed at preventing media coverage”. The broadcaster accused the Israeli government and army of being responsible for the reporter’s death. He called on the international community to hold the Israeli military accountable.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid offered the Palestinians a joint investigation and autopsy. “Journalists in conflict zones need to be protected. And we all have a responsibility to find out the truth,” Lapid said.
The Israeli army said soldiers had been deployed in Jenin to arrest terror suspects. Dozens of armed Palestinians fired on the troops. “The terrorists also threw explosives on the soldiers, endangering their lives.” The soldiers fired back in the direction from which the shot was fired and hits were identified.
“The Israeli army is investigating the incident and the possibility that the journalists were hit by the armed Palestinians,” it said. However, al-Jazeera wrote, citing its office chief in Ramallah, Walid Omari, that there had been no shots from the Palestinian side.
According to Palestinian sources, Israeli soldiers shot dead an 18-year-old near Ramallah on Wednesday. The young man was hit in the heart, said the Ministry of Health. The Israeli army said Palestinians threw stones at a military post. Soldiers then fired projectiles with hard rubber jackets.
A wave of terror has killed 17 people in Israel since the end of March, and an Israeli security guard in the West Bank was also shot dead by Palestinians. Since the start of the wave of attacks, the Israeli army has stepped up its operations in the occupied West Bank. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 20 Palestinians have been killed since the end of March. Several Palestinians have been killed in military operations, but also in their own attacks and clashes with the army.
Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. The Palestinians, on the other hand, want the areas for a separate state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as the capital.
The deadly incident in Jenin shook the shaky Israeli governing coalition: it took hours for the Arab Raam party to announce that it wanted to remain in government. Because of confrontations between Israeli security forces and Palestinians on the Temple Mount, Raam suspended her membership in the coalition last month. The party condemned the reporter’s death and also called for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry. The government lost its razor-thin majority in parliament last month.
Source: Nachrichten
