One year since the death of a Palestinian Christian journalist killed by an Israeli army soldier in a raid in Jenin. The family’s battle for justice and truth in a climate of impunity. Her brother Anton a : “Keep the memory of your work alive.” Airstrikes in Gaza, the leader of Islamic Jihad was killed and there are civilian casualties, including three children.
Jerusalem () – A “painful” year for her family, who feel “her absence” because “we used to feel her close and she was a source of support for everyone. For this reason, we have also decided to keep her memory and testimony alive”, especially in her work, supporting “women who want to do journalism” with scholarships. This counted Anton Abu Akleh, brother of Shireen, the Palestinian Christian journalist who was shot dead on May 11, 2022 by an Israeli soldier during a military operation in Jenin, West Bank. “We want to help young reporters to follow in her footsteps,” she continued, “to fight for press freedom, a fundamental value for which she always fought.”
One year after his death, the Palestinians paid tribute to him for his testimony, the courage and dedication with which he carried out his work, denouncing the abuses and distortions linked to the Israeli occupation of the territories. “There is a kind of impunity, a double standard when it comes to Israel. Other times in the past -Antón continues-, when journalists were killed, the matter was covered up. For this reason, for us, the relatives, it is important that the perpetrators appear before justice, that they answer for their actions and that this does not happen again to other chroniclers”.
This request from his brother is confirmed by the figures published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), according to which at least 20 reporters have been assassinated by the Israeli security forces since 2001. All this in a framework of impunity that allows the perpetrators to go unpunished for their acts, while deception is routine, and the army leadership blocks investigations. A situation that constitutes a “serious threat to press freedom,” denounces CPJ, as occurred in the case of Shireen.
Over the past 12 months, the journalist’s family, originally from Bethlehem and dual Palestinian and American nationals, have made numerous efforts to obtain justice, appealing – to no avail – to the White House and US President Joe Biden. Among them is a formal complaint before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague (Netherlands). Shireen, who for 25 years was the “voice of Palestine” for Al Jazeera (which promoted a commemorative event and seminar at its Doha headquarters) and other media outlets, was shot in the head while reporting on an Israeli army raid on Jenin.
According to protocol, he was wearing a protective helmet and a bulletproof vest, with the symbol of the press clearly visible, but it was not enough to escape the bullets. Her partner Ali al-Samoudi, who was with her at the time, was shot in the back. The Israeli army repeatedly defended the hypothesis of an accident, although it admitted the “high probability” that one of its soldiers was confused by shooting it through a telescopic sight, which magnifies up to four times, from inside the armored jeep. Faced with the mobilization of NGOs and activists, Israel acknowledged the assassination, but reiterated the thesis of an “error”, not a deliberate act.
“Shireen gave her life for a just cause and we will not allow her to be forgotten,” stressed her brother. “That is why it is important to keep her memory alive, particularly that of her work, and we intend to do it with scholarships for women journalists, which They will be granted through a foundation.” Added to this is the creation of a museum in his name, in Ramallah, in collaboration with Al Jazeera.” Of her sister, she remembers her faith, her condition as a Christian, who lived in a “humble and reserved” way, keeping it “above all to herself. She was a Christian and a Palestinian, she recounted the atrocities that were committed in her land, she supported her people , denounced the occupation”.
Violence that is renewed today with more intensity. At dawn, Israel responded forcefully to the launch of more than 500 rockets from Gaza yesterday, killing the head of the Islamic Jihad (YI) missile unit, Ali Hassan Ghali (better known as Abu Muhammad), and hitting to more than 130 targets linked to the militia in the Strip. This is the most intense fighting in recent months, in a continuous escalation of violence: at least 25 Palestinians died, including three children who appear on the list of “collateral victims” of the conflict. “It is evident that the Israeli government is not interested in peace and continues with its policy of killing civilians and journalists, all this combined with a climate of impunity, from which they benefit, and the absolute silence of the international community, the European Union and “United States. If Shireen were alive today,” her brother concluded, “I’m sure she would continue to report on violence. Today there are those who took up her legacy and continue to do so for her.”
