May 11 marks the first anniversary of the killing of American-Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli army bullets in the occupied West Bank. This gains more prominence in the light of the new Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, today.
Shireen Abu Akleh was born in Jerusalem in 1971 and was one of the first field correspondents for the Qatari Al Jazeera channel, which she joined in 1997. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media from Yarmouk University in Jordan.
On the morning of May 11, 2022, 51-year-old Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli regime forces, with bullets that penetrated her head, while she was covering a military raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city.
Abu Akleh was wearing a press vest and was standing with other journalists when she was killed.
Another Al Jazeera journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, was also wounded by a bullet in the back at the scene.
Shatha Hanaysha, a local journalist who was standing next to Abu Akleh when she was shot, told Al Jazeera in an interview in May 2022 that there were no confrontations between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army. She said the group of journalists was directly targeted.
“We were four journalists, we were all wearing vests, all wearing helmets,” Hanaysha said. “The Israeli occupation army did not stop firing even after she collapsed. I couldn’t even extend my arm to pull her because of the shots being fired. The army was adamant on shooting to kill.”
Tributes poured in from viewers, fellow journalists, and colleagues, recalling her 25-year legacy.
So far, no one has been held accountable for Abu Akle’s killing — unusual in cases of journalists killed in Israel, according to a new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom.
On May 9, the Washington Post published an analytical report that revealed a pattern of Israeli inaction.
The report confirmed that a full year after the bullet that killed the late Al-Jazeera correspondent, no charges were filed in this regard, and it does not seem that they will be filed in the future, according to a new analysis of the murders of journalists working to cover the Israeli incursions into the West Bank during the past two decades.
The American website “The Intercept” also criticized the US administration’s handling of the murder of the Al-Jazeera correspondent, noting that the office of the US Security Coordinator in Israel and the Palestinian Territories – concerned with security issues in the region – delayed issuing its own report on her death.
Shireen Abu Akleh’s family statement
Anton Abu Akleh, the late journalist’s brother, told AFP that the family is waiting for “justice for Shireen.” He said, “During this year, we went through many stages, experiences, and challenges to try to obtain Shireen’s right, and achieve justice for Shireen, the justice that everyone awaits after Shireen’s assassination.”
“The pain each of us has felt over the last 365 days has been devastating and unrelenting. Shireen was our sister, aunt, mentor, inspiration, and best friend,” Lina Abu Akleh, the journalist’s niece tweeted family statement.
“Over the past year, our family has been forced to grieve while seeking justice and accountability for Israel’s war crime.”
“From the beginning we’ve called on the U.S. government
to act in the same way it would if any other American citizen was killed abroad.”“For us, it means that those responsible for Shireen’s killing, from the soldier who pulled the trigger all the way up the chain of command, are held accountable. Accountability also means transparency-that the full truth about what happened to Shireen is public; and doing everything possible to ensure that this horrific war crime never happens to any other journalist.”
“Our family will continue to pursue justice for Shireen from the halls of the U.S. Congress to the International Criminal Court, and urge members of Congress, journalists, and people of conscience around the world to join our family in calling for justice and accountability so that no other family has to endure the pain ours has.”
“It’s been an entire year since our Shireen was murdered, and our family shouldn’t have to wait another day for justice.”
“Shireen was empathetic, kind and the humblest person that I’ve met. She was the journalist that she was because of her empathy and her compassion. And that’s what made her unique.”
