A national tribute to Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot to death in Jenin yesterday, is taking place today in Ramallah, the presidential palace in Muqata. The reporter was a well-known journalistic reference in the Arab world.
Alice Froussard, RFI’s correspondent for the Palestinian Territories, reported that Abu Akleh was a tireless journalist seeking information from Jerusalem to Gaza via the occupied West Bank. He has been to Jenin many times in the last few months.
A generation of Palestinians under the age of 30 grew up watching his face on television. Photographs of Shireen Abu Akleh are displayed on the walls in Ramallah, and the billboard that adorns al-Manara square now features her portrait and the inscription “Goodbye Shireen.” Black flags and a large panel in the journalist’s honor were hoisted from the terrace of nearby Al Jazeera.
He will be buried tomorrow in East Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of people are expected.
The death of the 51-year-old Christian journalist caused great repercussions in the Palestinian territories. The circumstances of the death, which occurred during a report on the Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank, put Tel Aviv under pressure.
Israel contradicts itself
The Qatari channel and Palestinian authorities blame the Israeli army and demand an international investigation. Pointing to possible responsibility for Palestinian groups, Israel proposes a joint investigation. Yesterday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz appeared less assertive in his responses than the Israeli government’s initial statements on the case.
Benny Gantz said the military was “not sure how he was killed” and that it was “impossible” to determine the circumstances of Shireen Abu Akleh’s death. The Minister of Defense thus distorts the official Israeli version.
The focus of Israeli authorities is to demand the bullet that killed the Palestinian-American journalist to conduct ballistic studies, says Michel Paul, RFI correspondent in Jerusalem. Tel Aviv recommends that Palestinian and American experts be present during the exam.
Analysts in the country’s press are expressing Israel’s regrets – but saying comments came too late and were scant. The editorial of Haaretz, the left-wing Israeli newspaper, states that only an international investigation can lead to reliable results. Many Israeli reporters describe their warm and professional relationship with Shireen. But not everyone agrees with this approach: a columnist for the daily newspaper says Israel should not be in a hurry to apologize for the death.
The Palestinian version is described as pure propaganda. The Jerusalem Post draws attention to the journalist’s death as a pretext for terrorist attacks against Israel.
Research at the UN
This morning, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared that “Israeli authorities are fully responsible” for the death and announced his intention to appeal to the ICC (International Criminal Court). Abbas said he rejected the idea of a joint investigation with Israel, saying “because they committed this crime and we don’t trust them”.
New York correspondent Carrie Nooten yesterday at the UN called for an “independent international investigation” by Arab countries and spoke of a “murder”. Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour is touched by the anger expressed by his colleagues after the announcement of Shireen Abu Akleh’s death, but wants to see “concrete action”. He demanded an explanation from the Security Council and, above all, an independent international investigation.
“We want it to be international because we reject the fact that Israel can conduct a credible investigation as it claims. They are the criminals and the criminals cannot investigate themselves,” he said.
For the representative of the League of Arab States, this is another step in the Israeli-led escalation since Ramadan amid the paralysis of the peace process with the Palestinians. “Unless there is a political horizon for the peace process, unless the great powers pay enough attention to the situation in the Middle East and focus only on Ukraine, this miserable situation, this miserable confrontation will continue,” said Maged Abdelaziz.
source: Noticias
