Shireen Abu Akleh’s ‘free voice’ is missing from Gaza’s tragedy
Two years after the Palestinian Christian journalist was killed, her brother Anton talks to AsiaNews about her. The war in the Gaza Strip is a "shock" that she would have documented to "fulfil her mission as a journalist". The closure of Al-Jazeera is an attack on the press, a sign of Israel's "double standards". Her family continues the battle for the truth about her death.
Milan (AsiaNews) – The war in Gaza, the atrocities inflicted upon the civilian population in the war Israel launched against Hamas following the attack on 7 October, “would have shocked even Shireen”, who had seen so much violence over the years, this according to her brother, Anton Abu Akleh who spoke to AsiaNews to two years after the Palestinian Christian journalist was shot dead by an Israeli soldier, on the morning of 11 May 2022, during an operation in West Bank town of Jenin.
At the time of her death, the journalist, much appreciated for her reporting not only in the Christian community, was busy "covering a raid" by the Israeli military in a suburb of the town.
“She was a pillar of the family," Anton explained, "and her death caused deep sorrow for all of us family members."
“The images we see in Gaza would have traumatised her,” he said speaking about the mounting deaths and blood in the Palestinian territory.
“In her career as a journalist she reported on the occupation of Palestine for 25 years, but what is happening now is beyond belief, it is something unthinkable.” Yet, “she would have done her job with dedication.”
“Today what I miss is listening to her reports, hearing her voice tell the story of the unfolding tragedy. I would have liked to hear her story, what she would have said.
“Of course, she would not have remained insensitive in the face of a tragedy that represents a collective shock but, at the same time, she would have fulfilled her mission as a journalist."
Shireen's death sparked the unanimous condemnation by several world leaders, as well as Palestinian activists and representatives.
The Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have blamed each other for her death, but first-hand evidence suggests that the bullet was fired – in all probability deliberately – by a member of the Israeli special unit involved in that operation.
The Al-Jazeera satellite network, which had employed her since 1997, said that the bullet was aimed at “the face" and was fired "in cold blood" by Israeli forces.
“Her killing,” Anton Abu Akleh said by phone from Washington, “is a reminder, even more so at this time, of the need for justice for which we are fighting as a family.”
Justice for Shireen does not only concern the circumstances of her death.
“If we had obtained justice earlier, there would not have been all these killings, victims among journalists and civilians in Gaza. Many lives would have been spared."
“We must oppose this double standard that allows Israel to kill without being held accountable. As a family, we are in the United States today to meet with senators and Members of Congress to continue our battle for the truth," seeking support "for an American citizen who, unfortunately, we have not had to date. The US administration itself has not helped us so far.”
The Christian journalist had a long career behind her, with 20 years of balanced and professional coverage of the Palestinian conflict.
Born in 1971 in East Jerusalem, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in print journalism from the University of Yarmouk, Jordan.
Her family comes originally from Bethlehem, but Shireen – who had dual Palestinian and US citizenship – was born and raised in Jerusalem where she attended the Rosary Sisters Secondary School in Beit Hanina.
After high school, she first enrolled in architecture, and then switched to journalism. After graduating from university, she returned to Palestine where she worked for various organisations, including UNRWA, Voice of Palestine Radio, Amman Satellite Channel, the Miftah Foundation, and Radio Monte Carlo.
For 25 years she was the "voice of Palestine" on Al-Jazeera. Last week Israel moved to shut down the East Jerusalem headquarters of the Qatari-based broadcaster.
“They blocked the office 48 hours after World Press Freedom Day. This is not just an attack on Al-Jazeera, but on freedom of information in general,” Shireen’s brother lamented.
“Even before Shireen's death they had struck the building [in Gaza], then came her killing, and now the closure of the [East Jerusalem] offices. They want to silence every free voice in Palestine, the West Bank, Gaza, but this double standard must stop.”
Her death was a moment of deep shock for the Christian community in the Holy Land and her funeral was marked by high tensions, with Israeli security forces attacking St Joseph's Hospital, a place of healing.
A few months later, the family met Pope Francis, with the pontiff giving them even greater "strength" in their quest for justice and truth.
Over the past two years, the family has made numerous efforts to obtain justice, appealing – in vain – to the White House, and filing a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
In addition, to remember her mission as a journalist committed to the search for the truth, the family established a “museum and scholarships” to support “new voices of freedom” in Palestine.
“As a family, we want to support future journalists, because this is the best response to the attempt to silence the news and to fight the occupation, while keeping Shireen's voice, memory and legacy alive.”
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26/10/2022 14:45
