n Al Jazeera correspondent who was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Wednesday was a well-known Middle Eastern journalist whose honest reporting was seen by millions of people.
Shireen Abu Akleh's killing sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East. During her more than two decades of reporting in the Palestinian territories, including during the second intifada, or uprising, which killed thousands on both sides, mostly Palestinians, the 51-year-old journalist became a household name synonymous with Al Jazeera's coverage of life under occupation.On Wednesday, the name Abu Akleh trended in Arabic on Twitter, igniting a wave of pro-Palestinian sentiment. Mourners packed the Al Jazeera headquarters in Ramallah and her family home in east Jerusalem as her image was broadcast over the main square in the West Bank city of Ramallah.She was slain by Israeli gunfire, according to Al jazeera and witnesses, including her producer, who was struck in the back Wednesday. Israel
claimed it was "premature and wrong to cast blame at this stage" because it was unknown who was responsible. Later on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz pledged an open probe and stated that he was in contact with US and Palestinian officials.
Abu Akleh's reporting on Israel's military occupation was intrinsically related to her personal experiences as a front-line Palestinian journalist. Her death emphasizes the high cost that the conflict continues to take on Palestinians, regardless of their profession.She lived and worked in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, where she felt most at home, despite being a U.S. citizen who visited the United States frequently throughout the summers. She was born and reared in Jerusalem, Palestine, as a Palestinian Christian from a Bethlehem family. Her sibling and parents survive her.During her coverage of the second intifada, from 2000 to 2005, Abu Akleh described the amount of destruction and "the impression that death was at times just around the corner" in an Al Jazeera documentary aired last year. "We were determined to finish the project despite the dangers," "she remarked.
"I picked journalism because I wanted to be connected to people," she continued. "It may not be simple to change reality, but at least I was able to convey their message to the rest of the world."
Abu Akleh joined Al Jazeera in 1997, a year after the trailblazing Arabic news network began broadcasting. She covered five conflicts in Gaza and Israel's war with Lebanon in 2006. She covered forced home evictions, Palestinian youth killings, hundreds of Palestinians detained without charge in Israeli jails, and the ongoing growth of Jewish colonies.
Wessam Hammad, her longtime producer, said Abu Akleh had an exceptional capacity to stay calm under pressure.
"Shireen labored all these years with a devotion to the ideals and ethics of our profession," he said of Abu Akleh, dubbed "the face of Al Jazeera in Palestine" by the network.
During the several stories he and Abu Akleh covered together, he and Abu Akleh were frequently caught in Israeli crossfire, he said. Their automobile filled with tear gas during one job, and they fought to breathe. Abu Akleh, he added, would laugh and marvel at how they managed to survive when they reflected on these events.Images of Abu Akleh being shot in the head near the Jenin refugee camp spread online and were shown on Al Jazeera and other Arabic news networks. Abu Akleh's body was shown laying face down on a piece of sand, wearing a helmet and a vest clearly labeled "PRESS." As bullets broke out, a Palestinian man leaped over a wall and dragged her still corpse to a car.A male coworker was seen weeping at her hospital bed in video from the West Bank hospital where Abu Akleh was pronounced dead, as others fought back tears. As she reported from a vigil for the journalist, an Al Jazeera female correspondent in Gaza wept live on camera.Later Wednesday, Abu Akleh's body was carried through downtown Ramallah on a crimson stretcher, draped in a Palestinian flag and surrounded by flowers. "With our spirit, with our blood, we will redeem you, Shireen," chanted hundreds.
Governments all throughout the world expressed their disapproval. Her killing was described by the US State Department as "an assault to media freedom."
Columnist Gideon Levy lauded her bravery in an editorial post published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, saying, "Abu Akleh died a hero, doing her job," and noting that she travelled to Jenin and other occupied territories that Israeli journalists "rarely if ever visited."
It had begun as a routine task for Abu Akleh. She'd informed colleagues via email that she was traveling to the Jenin refugee camp to investigate allegations of an Israeli military operation. She wrote, "I will bring you the news as soon as the image becomes clear."
"She influenced generations," producer Hammad stated. "People were influenced by Shireen's voice to study journalism so they could be like her."
Lina Abu Akleh, Abu Akleh's niece, described her as a "best friend" and "second mother."
"She's someone I've looked up to since I was a youngster, following all of her reports," she told reporters from her family's house. "I never imagined this day would come when she would be in the headlines."
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