Jerusalem24– Condolences as well as calls for investigations have continued to pour in throughout the day concerning the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price has released a statement condemning the killing and calling for an “immediate and thorough investigation”.
We are heartbroken by and strongly condemn the killing of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank. The investigation must be immediate and thorough and those responsible must be held accountable. Her death is an affront to media freedom everywhere.
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) May 11, 2022
US Representative Rashida Tlaib condemned the journalist’s “[murder] by a government that receives unconditional funding by our country with zero accountability.”
When will the world and those who stand by Apartheid Israel that continues to murder, torture and commit war crimes finally say: “Enough”?
Shireen Abu Akleh was murdered by a government that receives unconditional funding by our country with zero accountability. https://t.co/c2yLpM7UC1
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 11, 2022
The British Consulate in Jerusalem stressed the importance of press freedom.
Shocked at news of the death of Shireen Abu Aqleh, veteran Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist. Shireen was shot during and Israeli operation in Jenin refugee camp this morning. Media freedom and safety of journalists are essential and must be respected.
— UKinJerusalem (@UKinJerusalem) May 11, 2022
Tor Wennesland, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, was among those calling for an investigation and stressing that “media workers should never be targeted”.
(1/2) I strongly condemn the killing of Al-Jazeera’s reporter, Shireen Abu Aqla, who was shot with live fire this morning while covering an #Israel|i security forces’ operation in #Jenin, in occupied West Bank.
— Tor Wennesland (@TWennesland) May 11, 2022
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the death of Abu Akleh “a devastating loss”, while HRW Israel and Palestine Director Omar Shakir 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.”
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) issued a statement condemning and denouncing “all crimes committed by the Israeli occupation authorities and army against journalists, foremost among which are the killing of journalists and targeting them during their work.”
“MADA believes that it is the impunity of the perpetrators of all these Israeli crimes and violations against journalists and the media in Palestine that encourages the occupation to commit more of them, so it renews its demand for the need to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes and bring them to justice to put an end to the crimes of killing journalists and the grave attacks against them.”
