Israeli occupation army apologized, on Thursday, for the death of journalist Shereen Abu Aqleh, a year after she was assassinated with a bullet in the back of the head in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.
Daniel Hajari, a spokesman for the Israeli occupation army, Daniel Hajari, said in an interview with the American “CNN” network: “I think it is an opportunity for me to say here that we are very sorry for the death of Sherine Abu Aqelah. She was a very well-known journalist. We in Israel value our democracy and in democracy.” We see a high value of journalism and a free press.”
He added: “We want journalists to feel safe in Israel, especially in times of war, even if they criticize us.” According to his claim.
The Guardian newspaper published a report prepared by Bethan McKernan on the one-year anniversary of the martyrdom of Palestinian-American journalist Sherine Abu Aqleh, in which she said that her family and friends are still calling for justice.
In her report, Bethan McKernan said that the family and friends of Sherine, who was killed on May 11, 2022, renewed their demands for justice on the first anniversary of her death, as eulogies and events will witness the life of the journalist who spent two decades covering the events of the Israeli occupation of the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Her killing sparked global outrage, especially after the Israeli police tried to interfere in her funeral ceremonies, and her coffin almost fell from the hands of his campaign when the police attacked them.
The Israeli army admitted at a later period that one of its soldiers might have shot the journalist, but insisted on claiming that the shooting was not intended, and ruled out an investigation into the killing.
Dalia Hatouqa, Abu Aqleh’s friend and former colleague, said: “After years of witnessing the lack of justice for the Palestinians, she tells me that we should not expect much. But we focused on what we have on a bright side and the unparalleled participation in her funeral.. This shows love and respect for her.” “. “Sherine has inspired a generation of young women and men who respected her, worked with her, and want to follow in her footsteps.”
The testimonies presented by the Abu Aqleh family and their colleagues, during a concert in Ramallah, affirmed their commitment to revealing the Israeli occupation and its harsh impact to the world. A girl from Jerusalem in Edward Said’s band performed a number of pieces of music specially prepared in memory of Abu Aqelah.
Several universities have announced awards and scholarships in Abu Aqleh’s name, a street in Ramallah has been named after her, and her name will live on in the Media Museum, which is set to open in 2025. For the Palestinians and many around the world, they know who was responsible for the killing of Abu Aqleh. Multiple investigations, as well as the United Nations investigation, showed that the well-known journalist was killed by Israeli forces.
Some investigations indicated that Abu Aqelah was targeted intentionally, even though she and those with her were wearing helmets and flak jackets bearing the word “media”.
While the Biden administration adopted the Israeli version of events, and resisted calls to open an independent investigation into the killing of the American citizen, pressure from Congress forced it to agree to hold an investigation led by the FBI last November, which is considered For now the only way to get justice, though Israel has said it will not cooperate.
Abu Aqleh family and Al-Jazeera channel referred their case to the International Criminal Court in Haig, but the procedures took years, and Israel did not sign its charter.
Abu Aqleh is not the only Palestinian journalist killed by Israeli army fire in the past years. In a report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York, to coincide with the first anniversary of the killing of Abu Aqleh, it was found that the Israeli army killed other Palestinian journalists, and refused to take responsibility or investigate it.
