The death in the Palestinian territories of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who worked for Al Jazeera, is not just an accident like any other. The story has a political, symbolic and emotional significance in a constantly unstable region, and must not be added to the long list of incidents that have never been clarified. The Israeli army must shed some light.
Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, a journalist for over 20 years for Al Jazeera, was respected by everyone who knew her, including in the Israeli media. On May 11, you were following an Israeli army operation in a refugee camp in the Jenin region of the northern West Bank. She wore a bulletproof vest with the print on it clearly visible.
According to other reporters present on the spot, Shireen Abu Akleh was not in the center of the crossfire, as can happen in conflict zones. The reporter was allegedly targeted and shot in the head.
Exchange of accusations
From this point, as always happens in similar situations, the war of declarations began, which clouded the reality of the facts. The Israeli army immediately claimed, even before an investigation was conducted, that the gunshots came from the Palestinian side. This thesis was disproved by other journalists on the spot, according to which there were no gunshots on the Palestinian side at that time.
Israeli institutions said the Palestinian Authority refused the offer to conduct a joint investigation. The information was denied by a spokesman for Abu Mazen, president of the Palestinian Authority, who said no offer was made. Abu Mazen accused the Jewish state of having “murdered” Shireen Abu Akleh.
After these tense exchanges, unfortunately usual in this type of situation, appeals have been launched for an in-depth investigation, especially from the United States. The journalist, born in Jerusalem, had a US passport.
But the story goes that these investigations are rarely carried out. This is why the associations for the defense of freedom of the press are calling for an international investigation that is not entrusted solely to the Israeli army. Reporters Without Borders believes there may have been a violation of the Geneva Convention and a Security Council resolution on the protection of journalists.
Violence has been on the rise in the region for months. The tragic death of a journalist known to all Palestinians threatens to ignite an already tense situation: the clashes on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the eviction of Palestinians from their homes, the killings of Israeli citizens in several cities in recent weeks …
This is the daily scenario of a region without peace and without prospects for peace, especially in a context of chronic instability on the Israeli front (where the survival of the coalition depends on the hesitant votes of an Arab party) and of impasse on the Palestinian front, where Abu Mazen has long since gone beyond the limits of his mandate.
But we must not forget the context of the war in Ukraine and the resentment expressed several times by the southern countries towards Westerners, accused of expressing “selective indignation”. Israel is evidently part of this blind spot in Western diplomacy. Shireen Abu Akleh’s death cannot be ignored. The need to find the truth is evident to everyone.
(Translation by Andrea Sparacino)