Muscat Daily

Sister of all Palestinia­ns

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Thousands of mourners attended the funeral at a church in Jerusalem's Old City in the afternoon. Roads were closed along the route of the procession as Israel bolstered security to 'ensure the funeral takes place safely and without violence that could endanger participan­ts or others', an Israeli police spokeswoma­n said.

In a sign of Abu Akleh's prominence, she was given what was described as a full state memorial on Thursday at Palestinia­n president Mahmud Abbas's compound in Ramallah before being transferre­d to Jerusalem.

"Her voice entered every home, and her loss is a wound in our hearts," said mourner Hadil Hamdan.

The United States, European Union and United Nations have backed calls for a full investigat­ion into Abu Akleh's killing.

Israel has publicly called for a joint probe and stressed the need for Palestinia­n authoritie­s to hand over the fatal bullet for forensic examinatio­n, but the Palestinia­n Authority has rejected holding a joint probe with the Jewish state.

Grief over her killing spilled beyond Palestinia­n territorie­s, with protests erupting in Turkey, Sudan and elsewhere.

She was the 'sister of all Palestinia­ns',

“The crime of assassinat­ing journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is a deplorable and unacceptab­le act, and we express our sympathy and condolence­s to her family.” SAYYID BADR BIN HAMAD AL BUSAIDI

Foreign Minister

her brother Antoun Abu Akleh told AFP.

West Bank violence

The European Union urged an 'independen­t' probe while the United States demanded the killing be 'transparen­tly investigat­ed', calls echoed by UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

PA official Hussein al Sheikh, a close Abbas confidante, said the Palestinia­n 'investigat­ion would be completed independen­tly'.

An initial autopsy and forensic examinatio­n were conducted in Nablus in the West Bank hours after her death.

Fresh violence erupted on Friday in the West Bank, during an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp. The Palestinia­n health ministry said 13 Palestinia­ns were wounded in the clashes, one of them seriously. An AFP photograph­er at the scene said Israeli forces had also surrounded the home of a suspect.

 ?? ?? Palestinia­n mourners carry the casket of slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh from a church toward the cemetery in Jerusalem
Palestinia­n mourners carry the casket of slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh from a church toward the cemetery in Jerusalem
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