Al Jazeera reporter killed in raid
JERUSALEM >> Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, one of the satellite channel's best-known reporters, was shot and killed Wednesday while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank. The broadcaster and two reporters who were with her blamed Israeli forces.
Israel's defense minister, Benny Gantz, promised a transparent investigation, and said he was in touch with U.S. and Palestinian officials. The Israeli military initially suggested that Abu Akleh might have been killed by stray fire from Palestinians, but Gantz was more cautious Wednesday evening. “We are trying to figure out exactly what happened,” he said. “I don't have final conclusions.”
He said Israel asked the Palestinian medical team that performed a preliminary autopsy to hand over the fatal bullet for further examination. The head of the Palestinian forensics institute, Rayan al-Ali, said earlier Wednesday that the bullet was deformed, and that he could not yet determine who fired it.
Abu Akleh's death could draw new scrutiny of Israel's military justice system, being examined as part of a war crimes probe conducted by the International Criminal Court. It also threatened to further strain often rocky relations between the army and the international media.
Abu Akleh, 51, was a respected and familiar face in the Middle East, known for her coverage on Al Jazeera Arabic of the harsh realities of Israel's open-ended military occupation of the Palestinians, now in its 55th year. She was widely recognized in the West Bank and was also a U.S. citizen.
Her death reverberated across the region. Arab governments condemned the killing.
There was also an outpouring of grief in the West Bank. In Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian autonomy government, Abu Akleh's body, draped in a Palestinian flag and covered by a wreath of flowers, was carried through downtown streets. Hundreds chanted, “with our spirit, with our blood, we will redeem you, Shireen.”
A procession was to take the body for burial today in Jerusalem, where Abu Akleh was born.
In east Jerusalem, dozens of mourners gathered at the family home to honor her. Lina Abu Akleh, her niece, called her “my best friend, my second mom, my companion.”
“I never thought this day would come, where the news would be about her and she won't be the one covering the news,” she said.
At one point, a group of Israeli police entered the home, where they were immediately met with shouts of “killers” and “occupiers” and chants to “get out.” It was not immediately clear why the police came, and the officers quickly left.
Palestinians gathered out side the family's house Wednesday evening, some holding Palestinian flags and posters with the journalist's photo. When the group walked toward a main thoroughfare, Israeli police tried to stop them. Scuffles ensured. Five Palestinians were hurt and about half a dozen were detained.
Abu Akleh was killed by a shot to the head while on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, known as a bastion of militants. Israel has conducted neardaily raids in Jenin in recent weeks following a series of deadly attacks inside Israel carried out by militants from the area.
Gantz said Israeli forces came under attack by indiscriminate fire by Palestinian militants from several directions. The army released a body cam video of forces in the town while heavy fire is heard in the background.
Gantz described the situation as chaotic. He said the soldiers at the scene had all been questioned, but that the investigation could only make progress with the cooperation of the Palestinian forensic team.