A year since Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, her family is continuing to fight for justice as Palestinian journalists face frequent threats to their safety and liberty.
So far there is little sign of immediate accountability from Israel for the death of Abu Akleh, a renowned Palestinian-American journalist who was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces while on assignment in the city of Jenin on May 11, 2022. A landmark investigation by Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines found that Abu Akleh and her team came under direct Israeli military fire, but the Israel has refused to open a criminal investigation into what they have called an accident.
Abu Akleh’s family, Al Jazeera, and Palestinian and US lawmakers are demanding concerted US and international action to ensure accountability for her death. Palestinian journalists covering the impact of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and its blockade of Gaza meanwhile continue to face the threat of attack and arrest by Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reported in January that there were more than 900 crimes and human rights violations against Palestinian journalists in 2022, including the killings of Abu Akleh and Ghufran Al-Warasneh, who was shot by Israeli forces in Hebron in June. A new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists documents the killing of at least 20 journalists by the Israeli military over the past 22 years, with no individual charged or held responsible.
In this episode of The Stream, journalists and press freedom advocates will discuss efforts to secure justice for Shireen Abu Akleh and talk about the challenges they face while reporting on the realities of Palestinian life.
In this episode of The Stream, we are joined by:
Jalal Abukhater, @JalalAK_jojo
Journalist
jalalabukhater.com
Vera Sajrawi, @SajrawiVera
Journalist
972mag.com
Maram Humaid, @MaramGaza
Gaza reporter, Al Jazeera
aljazeera.com/author/maram_humaid