The Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh was shot by an Israeli soldier on 11 May 2022. She was covering the Israeli forces’ latest raid on the refugee camp in Jenin (on the West Bank) and was wearing a helmet and a flak jacket (as seen here) clearly identifying her as a press reporter. She was shot in the head, which suggests a precision aim. More detail on the incident is HERE.
Israeli spokespeople tried first to blame a Palestinian gunman. The human rights organisation Btselem immediately showed their account was impossible (see HERE) and a more considered finding from the United Nations (delivered on 24 June) is HERE. The UNs rapporteur has said that the shooting may amount to a war crime. The International Federation of Journalists and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate had already in April this year filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court alleging war crimes by the Israeli forces against journalists (see HERE). The shooting of Shireen Abu Aqleh will be added as further evidence. An Early Day Motion before the British Parliament is HERE and an open letter from over 120 artists is HERE.
Shortly after the shooting, the world witnessed the horrific attack by Israeli soldiers on Shireen’s Christian funeral in Jerusalem, an atrocity that was condemned even by some who are normally subservient to Israeli apartheid. Since then, as reported HERE, the UN has named its annual training programme for Palestinian journalists after Shireen. A briefing from CAABU on this issue can be viewed HERE.
At the beginning of July the Americans examined the bullet that killed Shireen and unsurprisingly said that as it was ‘damaged’ one could not say for certain where it had come from, that ‘gunfire from IDF {Israeli} position was likely responsible’ but that they ‘found no reason to believe this was intentional’. Shireen’s family immediately issued THIS STATEMENT in response.
Only in September did the Israeli authorities finally admit that one of their soldiers had shot Shireen. They repeated the lie that the soldier was returning fire at Palestinian gunmen. Al-Haq and Forensic Architecture later released a detailed analysis confirming that the shooting of the journalist was deliberate: watch it HERE. Shireen’s family are presenting the case to the International Criminal Court as the rest of the international community appears to have lost interest.
In December 2022 the broadcasters Al-Jazeera produced THIS DOCUMENTARY (running time 38 minutes) showing what took place.