Israeli killing of Al Jazeera’s Shireen Abu Akleh sparks outrage
Al JazeeraMay 11, 2022
Palestinian Authority Pres. Mahmoud Abbas on Thurs. rejected Israel's proposal of a joint investigation regarded the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and vowed to take the case to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
Akleh, a veteran journalist for Al Jazeera, was fatally shot in the head by a live bullet on Wed. while she was covering an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin. Her producer, Ali al-Samudi, was also shot and is in stable condition.
There's no doubt that Israeli forces deliberately killed Akleh. She was hundreds of meters away from any armed clashes, Israeli snipers were present in the area, and several witnesses said that they had fired at her team. Akleh's killing is a heinous crime and clearly violates international laws and norms. Israel must be held accountable.
Though the death of Akleh is tragic, critics of Israel are always quick to jump to conclusions about events in the West Bank. Jenin is a well-known hotbed of terrorist activity, and it's well within the realm of possibility that Akleh was killed by indiscriminate Palestinian gunfire.
This is a heartbreaking tragedy, and sadly both sides are already using it to push political agendas. Nobody knows who killed Akleh, and a quick, fair, and thorough investigation must be undertaken.