Wednesday, May 11, 2022

The cold-blooded murder of icon journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin : Her only crime was she was a Palestinian and a Journalist “Graphic”

It is the shock of the day.

In case you do not know, 51-years-old veteran journalist American-Palestinian Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli occupation forces according to her colleagues and mounted evidence earlier Wednesday Morning.

That shocking moment when Shireen Abu Akleh laid dead and beside her a shocked and  scared Shaza Hayanashia
That shocking moment when Shireen Abu Akleh laid dead and beside her a shocked and 
scared Shaza Hayanashia 

Abu Akleh informed Al-Jazeera Network that she was heading to Janin refugee camp at about 6.13 AM Doha local time because Israeli forces stormed Janin refugee camp again and there were clashes between the Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters once again.

For weeks if not months, Israeli forces have been storming areas endlessly in the occupied West bank killing and detaining Palestinians without accountability allegedly for fighting terrorism.

A veteran journalist who started her 25-years as a correspondent for Al-Jazeera Network, Shireen Abu Akleh went with a group of Palestinian journalists to enter the camp from an area near the Israeli forces.

She was an accredited journalist who wore the press vest and helmet when needed and when it was a must.

Shireen Abu Akleh wearing her press vest
Allegedly this is the last known photo of Abu 
Akleh wearing her press vest with the help of 
a colleage

The journalists and Shireen reached the first roundabout in Jenin camp and actually made their presence known to the Israeli forces according to a testimony of a journalist I found from the group.

Shireen was walking among four or five people including her own producer journalist Ali Samudi.

According to Samudi, the journalists were on their way to film the Israeli forces’ operations when the Israeli forces opened their fire without speaking to them or asking them to stop filming.

Samudi was shot first in his back and Shireen Abu Akleh began to shout that he was hit.

Ali Samudi after he was transferred to hospital
Ali Samudi after he was transferred to hospital

Shireen was then shot and fell motionless beside young reporter Shaza Hanayasha who I believe will suffer from PTSD after this horrible experience.

In a scene that reminded millions of Arabs, especially from my generation of the murder of Mohamed El-Dora, the body of the veteran journalist laid still motionless for minutes before her colleagues were able to transfer her to get medical help.

Mohamed El-Dora and Shireen Abu Akleh
Mohamed El-Dora in September 2000 and Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022

Here is the video testimony of journalist Ali Samudi translated to English by Al Jazeera international.

According to video evidence and testimonies of their colleagues, the Israeli soldiers or snipers did not stop shooting actually and there were no Palestinian fighters in their area, to begin with.

Based on the evidence and past experience, the Israeli Defense Army is suspect no.1 suspect. 

Here is the full video that documented this sad shocking moment.

In fact here was the moment you could hear three bullets in the area as late Shireen was killed and a young man from Janin camp called Sherif El-Azab tries to save her and save her colleague Shaza.

Sherif El-Azab carrying lifeless 
Shireen Abu Akheh

This is what Palestinian journalist Maged Al-Saadi who was in Abu Akleh’s group confirms. “He spoke that they made their presence known to Israeli forces while wearing their vests and helmets”

Now in less than 24 hours or even 12 hours, we found the Israeli government starting with the Israeli Prime Minister’s official Twitter and their online media machine spreading lies that actually Abu Akleh was killed by the Palestinian gunmen “aka Janin resistance”. 

The video they shared actually was very obvious filmed far away from where Shireen was killed.

Thanks to activists and OSINT journalists the ugly official Israeli media machine was exposed to be fake.

It turned out that Shireen and the rest of the Palestinian journalists were hundreds of meters away from the clashes between the Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters. The footage the Israeli state pushed officially did not have any metadata to show when or where it was really recorded.

Then famous Israeli human rights organization published its video debunking the early official Israeli version of events. 

Then Israel had another problem to deal with.

Shireen Abu Akleh turned out to be a US citizen too according to Al Jazeera Network and the US ambassador to Israel Tim Nides who confirmed the news.

Needless to say, it was not a normal death.

It was a documented murder. It was a documented shooting of a civilian and a journalist who has a permit and was wearing a Press vest and helmet.

Nides says that he encouraged a thorough investigation when he should demand a thorough independent investigation into the killing of an American citizen on a foreign land at the hands of foreign forces that receive millions.

Hours later the US officials began to use “killed” and “killing” more openly.

All these events led the Israeli government and army to begin changing their version of events and backtrack the first version that Palestinian fighters killed her.

Abu Akleh is not the first US Palestinian citizen to be killed in cold blood by the Israeli occupation forces nor the first journalist.

According to some estimations, not less than 45 Palestinian journalists have been killed since 2000 by the Israeli occupation forces.

I do not need to speak about the civilian Palestinians killed. 

By the way just as the Palestinians were preparing another quick funeral for Shireen Abu Akleh in West Bank, the Israeli occupation forces stormed her house in Jerusalem because the house had a Palestinian flag and they were playing loud Palestinian patriotic songs !!

They were kicked out of the house and met with chants of “Murderers” and “Long live Palestine” in Arabic.

The Palestinian Forensic Authority said in short statements that Shireen Abu Akleh died due to a head shot. 

It turned out that the bullet went into that naked area of the helmet near the ear. According to the distance between Shireen’s location and the Israeli forces’ location, a sniper rifle must be used for that precision. 

The final report has not been issued yet and actually, it may take days until it is issued.

There are regional and international calls for international independent investigations and even some Americans are calling for the FBI's involvement in the investigation.

Many Arabs believe that Israel will try to do its best to hide the truth as usual or will get away, as usual, that is why an independent impartial international investigation is a fair reasonable demand.

I will stop here and re-quote what Egypt's Al-Azhar said in its official statement mourning the veteran popular journalist: Her only crime was she was a Palestinian and a Journalist. 

4 comments:

  1. As will be proven when the bullet is handed over for examination, She was murdered by her own. If the Jews acted the way you claim all your terrorist loving journalists would be dead. You do realise that Jewish journalists can't wander around freely reporting in Arab areas don't you?? Look in the mirror occasionally..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Allah ya rhamha
    Palestine will be Free one day
    We pray soon Inshaa Allah swþ

    ReplyDelete
  3. RIP Shireen have a good life in heaven you were the best journalist for my daughter Areej. Once again RIP Shireen

    ReplyDelete

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