Israeli killing of Al Jazeera’s Shireen Abu Akleh sparks outrage

By Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera

Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has been shot and killed by Israeli forces while reporting in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

The killing on Wednesday has sparked an outpouring of condolences and condemnation, as well as calls for a thorough investigation to hold those responsible to account.

Here is how media organisations, rights groups and the international community have reacted so far:

Al Jazeera

In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the “blatant murder” that violates “international laws and norms” and called Abu Akleh’s death a “heinous crime, through which it is intended to prevent the media from fulfilling its message”.

“We hold the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of the late colleague Shireen,” the statement said.

Al Jazeera called on the international community to hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for their “intentional targeting and killing” of Abu Akleh.

Palestinian Authority

The Palestinian Authority presidency condemned the killing of Abu Akleh as a “heinous crime”, saying the murder was “part of the [Israeli] occupation’s policy of targeting journalists to obscure the truth and commit crimes silently”.

Qatar

Lolwah Alkhater, Qatar’s deputy foreign minister, called the killing “state sponsored Israeli terrorism” and called for an end to “unconditional support to Israel”.

Israel

The Israeli military said its forces came under attack with heavy gunfire and explosives while operating in Jenin, and that they fired back. The military said it is “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that the journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen”.

This account was contradicted by witness reports from Al Jazeera journalists, who said there were no confrontations between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army.

Yair Lapid, Israel’s foreign minister, called on Palestinian authorities to hold a joint investigation into what he called an “unfortunate murder”, saying the Israeli forces would continue to operate everywhere “to prevent terrorism and the killing of Israelis”.

United States

The US ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, said on Twitter he was “very sad” to learn about the journalist’s killing and called for “a thorough investigation into the circumstances”.

Pakistan

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the “assassination” of Abu Akleh.

“Silencing voices of those who tell stories of oppressed people is part of a deliberate strategy employed by Israel & India in Palestine & Occupied Kashmir,” he wrote on Twitter.

European Union

Luis Miguel Bueno, the EU’s spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa, said on Twitter that he was “shocked” by the killing of Abu Akleh while she was doing her job reporting on Israeli raids in Jenin.

“We express our deepest condolences to her family and call for a swift and independent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.

United Kingdom

Neil Wigan, the UK’s ambassador to Israel, said on Twitter: “Journalists must be allowed to work safely and freely. I urge a rapid, thorough and transparent investigation.”

China

Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said: “We are shocked and heavily oppose the actions of violence against journalists who are on duty and doing their job, we hope that such events of relevance are dealt with according to law and justice.”

Iran

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh strongly condemned Abu Akleh’s killing and said it shows what lengths Israel is willing to go to in order to prevent media from reporting the oppression of Palestinians.

He also called on international organisations and global media representatives to investigate the issue and “make sure the Zionist regime is held responsible for this crime”. He added that Israel’s offer to investigate lacks credibility.

Belgium

The Belgian foreign ministry condemned the killing of Abu Akleh.

“We offer our condolences to her loved ones and call for quick and strict investigation,” it said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch

Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director for Human Rights Watch, said the killing was part of a systematic approach by Israeli towards journalists covering the occupation.

“It’s, of course, not a one-off event, we know that Israeli forces systematically have used excessive force. This is an event that needs to be understood in the context of this systemic practice and the killings of many other Palestinian journalists,” he said.

International Federation of Journalists

Global media rights group the International Federation of Journalists strongly condemned the killing and demanded an “immediate investigation”.

Reporters Without Borders

Christophe Deloire, Secretary General and Director General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), wrote on Twitter that the killing of Abu Akleh “constitutes a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions that mandate the protection of civilians, and of UN Security Council resolution 2222 on the protection of journalists”.

Amnesty International

The human rights group said Israeli authorities “must end unlawful killings” called on the international community to act to hold Israel accountable.

“The killing of veteran journalist Shirin Abu Akleh is a bloody reminder of the deadly system in which Israel locks Palestinians. Israel is killing Palestinians left and right with impunity. How many more need to be killed before the international community acts to hold Israel accountable for the continuing crimes against humanity?” said Saleh Higazi, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

National Union of Journalists

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which represents journalists in the UK and Ireland, said in a statement that it was shocked by the killing and called for a swift investigation to hold those responsible to account.

“Attacks against Palestinian journalists in Israel have been condemned by the NUJ and International Federation of Journalists and action must be taken by Israeli authorities to ensure the safety and protection of journalists in the country,” the NUJ said.

Source: Al Jazeera