Nadene Goldfoot
Also on May 11th, Al Jazeera reports that its longtime correspondent and revered figure on Arab Television screens, Shirin Abu Aqleh, 51, born 1971, was shot in the head while covering Israeli raids in the camp by Israeli soldiers during IDF-Palestinian clashes in Jenin according to the network and the ministry on Wednesday morning. She was covering Israel’s counter-terror operation ongoing in the city after a string of deadly terror attacks in its cities. She was taken to a hospital before dying from her wounds.
UpdateE:5/13/22 The Palestinians have taken her body away, not letting Israelis in on the autopsy. Palestinians and Israelis were using same type of weapon. Israel has asked USA to step in and ask PA to allow Israel in on investigation. This we know: terrorists were shooting a lot and wildly; Israel's shooting was exact, and they would not have aimed at the journalist woman. Shireen Abu Akleh was a Palestinian-American journalist who worked as a reporter for the Arabic-language channel Al Jazeera for 25 years, and was a household name across the Middle East for her decades of reporting in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
Both Israeli and Palestinian forces conduct frequent operations in the camp, often resulting in violence.
In August 2021, four Palestinian men were killed and a fifth seriously wounded during an Israeli raid by undercover forces, who entered the camp to arrest a Hamas suspect.
The camp has one of the highest rates of unemployment and poverty among the 19 West Bank refugee camps. Many residents previously relied upon work in Israel, which has been severely curtailed since the construction of the Barrier and the implementation of the permit regime. Other issues include high population density and poor sewage networks. It is known for its active role in armed resistance, civil disobedience, and the nurturing of armed groups
In a statement, Al Jazeera accused Israeli forces of killing Abu Akleh “in cold blood” and said she had been “clearly wearing a press jacket that identifies her as a journalist.” In interviews, multiple eyewitnesses — including two journalists who were standing next to Abu Akleh — disputed Israeli assertions that she was killed during crossfire, saying the area was relatively quiet just before Abu Akleh was shot.
The Palestinian Authority blames Israel for the attack, calling for a worldwide outcry, while the IDF spokesman issued a statement claiming that “armed Palestinians” may well have shot the correspondent, who was seen wearing a press vest and helmet. Israel proposed a joint investigation with the Palestinians, although, he said “I don’t believe we killed her. I say this with caution pending an investigation.
However, the Red Crescent evacuated the body speedily before it could be examined, he said. “They may have good reason for hiding the evidence.
”In a statement, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the shooting occurred while the Israel Defense Forces were conducting counterterrorism operations in Jenin, after a spate of deadly attacks over the past few weeks in Israeli cities. During the operation, he said, “armed Palestinians shot in an inaccurate, indiscriminate and uncontrolled manner.”
“Our forces from the IDF returned fire as accurately, carefully and responsibly as possible. Sadly, Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in the exchange,” he said. “To uncover the truth, there must be a real investigation, and the Palestinians are currently preventing that. Without a serious investigation, we will not reach the truth.”
PM Naftali Bennett, while deploring the death of the Shirin Abu Aqleh, accused Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas of blaming Israel “without concrete evidence.” He pointed to video footage of a Palestinian gunman boasting they had killed an Israeli soldier and showing a fallen body, but in fact, no soldiers were injured.
The fallen body was therefore likely the late Shirin Abu Aqleh. The Palestinian Authority also rejected Israel’s offer of a joint autopsy to establish the truth. The incident has wide ramifications in that the correspondent was also an US citizen.
Israel killed three Palestinian Islamic Jihad members in West Bank on Ramadan’s first day on Saturday, 02 April 2022 6:51 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 02 April 2022 7:25 AM ]
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