Justice for slain Al Jazeera reporter still elusive, 102 days after

One hundred and two days after Shireen Abu Akler was shot dead in active duty, people across the globe still feel that justice has been elusive for the veteran Al Jazeera reporter. Abu Akleh, a journalist well known for her 25-year coverage of the Israeli occupation, was shot in the head by an alleged Israeli […]

One hundred and two days after Shireen Abu Akler was shot dead in active duty, people across the globe still feel that justice has been elusive for the veteran Al Jazeera reporter.

Abu Akleh, a journalist well known for her 25-year coverage of the Israeli occupation, was shot in the head by an alleged Israeli sniper while she was covering an a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.

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The incident happened on May 11 after Akler and her cameraman, Majdi Bannoura, who filmed the immediate aftermath of the shooting, joined a group of journalists to cover the incursion.

Two days later, Isreali police also attacked people during her funeral procession, which attracted global outcry for an independent investigation.

Eyewitnesses, multiple investigations by US media outlets, which include the Cable News Network (CNN), the Associated Press, the Washington Post and the New York Times, previously concluded that Israeli forces were behind the shooting.

Also, investigations carried out by the United Nations, Palestinian authority and multiple human rights groups, including the Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem had reached same conclusion.

Despite these undisputed facts, the United States has done nothing to hold Israel accountable or seek justice for Abu Akler.

In July, the US State Department probe of the bullet’s origin was ‘inconclusive’, while believing that the Isreal gunfire was “unintentional”, but rather ‘the result of tragic circumstances.”

Following a series of allegations, Israel has changed its story about the incident several times. 

Isreali authority first denied the allegations and blamed the killing on stray bullet from Palestinian fighters but later admitted that an Israeli soldier could have mistakenly shot Abu Akleh, and finally ruled out an investigation into its own military.

However, the Palestinian authority had rejected “the US’ dismissal of the Israeli occupying forces” intentional targeting and killing of Akleh as “tragic circumstances” rather than an intentional war crime.

Her family also said that despite the overwhelming evidence and several investigations finding that Israel is responsible, the US has failed to hold its ally accountable.

Akleh’s niece, Lina, told Al Jazeera that, “The US needs to step up and conduct an investigation into the murder of their citizen and journalist.”

Akleh’s family’s struggles, concerns

Last month, Abu Akleh’s family travelled to Washington and met with various US representatives, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Victor Abu Akleh, Lina’s brother, told reporters that his family members were demanding accountability to spare other Palestinian dual citizens the pain and suffering they had endured.

“The reality, of course, is that in Palestine, our family’s grief is not unique. Shireen wasn’t even the first US citizen killed by Israel this year,” he said.

While Blinken stressed his commitment to accountability, Lina argued that the Biden administration should have jumped into action regarding the safety and wellbeing of US citizens abroad.

“The US talks about press freedom, human rights and democracy but it doesn’t live up to that. The same standards do not apply to Palestinian American citizens, it seems,” Lina said.

Nonetheless, the family is aware of the importance of their visit to the US capital, where they spoke directly to senators and congressmen.

“We left Washington DC feeling hopeful, but at the same time concerned that the US administration would try to push this under the rug.

“However, with all the support we received from members of Congress and with their efforts in joining our call to an independent US investigation, I felt hopeful and encouraged to keep pursuing justice, knowing that we have allies on Capitol Hill,” Lina said.

Palestinian rights advocates have also taken to the social media to express their indignation at the US announcement.

“This is a shameful day for the US, which failed to properly investigate the murder of one of its citizens by a military it sends $3.8 billion to every year,” the Jewish Voice for Peace tweeted.

The Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem said: “As far as Israel is concerned, its policy regarding the killing of Palestinians has never been anything other than an organised whitewash meant to enable the continuation of the killings with impunity, and it is no different when it comes to a US citizen as in the current case.”

MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan tweeted, “Where is the outrage from the Biden administration? Where is the urgency to find out how an American citizen was shot and killed? And how long will the US continue to give Israel a pass on apparently everything?”

Abu Akleh’s family has stated that regardless of the investigation’s findings they will continue to fight for justice and accountability for her death.

“It is very disappointing, but at the same time, it is not discouraging. We will continue to fight for justice. We will continue to fight for accountability and an end to this impunity because this result we received today just adds to the impunity that Israel enjoys.

“But we will not be discouraged and we will continue on our path for justice and accountability,” the family stated.

Al Jazeera noted that Abu Akleh had become its 12th journalist to be killed while reporting from the field.

Aljazeera, family, journalism groups approach ICC

Al Jazeera has already referred the case to the International Criminal Court and has vowed to seek justice through all the international legal avenues.

Abu Akleh’s family, the International Federation of Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians have directed the legal team to file a new complaint with the ICC.

The complaint requests that the ICC prosecutor investigate the circumstances surrounding Abu Akleh’s death and Samoudi’s shooting.

Israel claims it is not bound by the court’s mandate because it did not sign the Rome Statute, and that the ICC cannot investigate abuses in Palestinian territories because Palestine is not a state.

However, the ICC ruled on February 5, 2021 that its criminal jurisdiction extended to “the situation in Palestine,” and that its territorial scope included allegations made in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to lawyers.

The new complaint follows an April submission to the court in which the ICC prosecutor requested that an investigation into the systematic targeting, maiming, and killing of journalists, as well as the destruction of media infrastructure in Palestine be launched, the legal team said.

Abu Akleh was killed just days after the ICC prosecutor acknowledged receipt of the first complaint.

“This presents for the first time, a real opportunity for the accountability of Israel’s alleged policy of targeting journalists and could lead to a formal investigation by the ICC prosecutor and potential prosecutions,” the lawyers’ statement noted.

Celebrities demand accountability

More than 100 celebrities and artists have signed a statement demanding accountability for Israel’s alleged killing of Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh.

Actors Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Susan Sarandon, Steve Coogan, and Miriam Margolyes, as well as filmmakers, Asif Kapadia, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, and a former footballer, Eric Cantona, were among those who expressed that they were “deeply disturbed” by her death.

As a result, an ICC investigation set on an international stage is expected to continue attracting global attention.

Palestinians deserve freedom, territory – S/Africa

Recently, the South African foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, expressed reservations on the approaches of the international community to different conflicts that sometimes “lead to cynicism about international bodies.” 

Pandor, during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State in Pretoria said, “Just as much as the people of Ukraine deserve their territory and freedom, the people of Palestine deserve their territory and freedom.”

She said the world should be equally concerned with what is happening to the people of Palestine as they are with what is happening to the people of Ukraine. “We have not seen an even-handed approach,” she added.