Tragic Shooting of Al Jazeera Journalist - Circumstances Unclear and Investigation Under Way
11 May 2022
This morning a veteran Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Aqla, was killed in Jenin, during Palestinian and Israeli clashes. It is not clear yet who killed her, but initial investigations indicate that she appears to have been hit by Palestinian gunfire. A full investigation will be needed, however, to determine the facts.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Securities Authority (ISA), and Border Police forces were operating in the Jenin camp and several other sites to arrest suspects in terrorist activities. During the operation, there was substantial fire aimed at the forces, and they responded with return fire. Injuries were sustained among the terrorists. There were no injuries among the Israeli forces.
The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) is concerned about the misinformation and blame circulating, despite the lack of tangible facts. Jenin is a town that has been plunged into chaos, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) has not even been able to restore law and order.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, “This morning, in Jenin, terrorists heard saying: "They've hit one, they've hit a soldier, he's laying on the ground. However, no IDF soldier was injured in Jenin. Palestinian terrorists, firing indiscriminately, are likely to have hit Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqla”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid on Twitter: “We have offered the Palestinians a joint pathological investigation into the sad death of journalist Shireen Abu Aqla. Journalists must be protected in conflict zones and we all have a responsibility to get to the truth. Israel's security forces will continue to operate wherever necessary to prevent terrorism and the murder of Israelis”.
We implore the Palestinians to accept the offer to uncover the truth. In a case such as this, muddying the waters is neither practical nor is it the moral thing to do.
As it is unclear who fired at Shireen Abu Aqla, and until those facts are established, it is irresponsible to assign blame.
We wish the family condolences for this tragedy and hope the investigation may provide some closure. We express our sorrow over the death of the Shireen Abu Aqla, and see great importance in the freedom of the press, and the work to preserve it. Furthermore, the SAZF believes that all possible precautions should be taken to avoid risks to journalists when reporting on conflict situations.
Update:
DIRCO condemnation of Israel for shooting of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh without confirmation of facts, irresponsible and incendiary
12 May 2022
Last night (Wednesday 11 May 2022), South Africa’s DIRCO (Department of International Relations and Cooperation) issued a damning statement alleging Israeli troops to be responsible for the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, in Jenin in the West Bank, during Palestinian and Israeli clashes. DIRCO’s statement was irresponsible and negligent to immediately assign blame towards Israel without waiting for confirmation of the facts. It was reckless and incendiary in the extreme to allege blame in a region where tensions are running high and easily inflamed. Such actions encourage more violence.
According to initial findings by Palestinian forensic doctors, it is still not clear as to who fired the bullet and from where. Investigations are underway. The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) is concerned about the circulating misinformation, despite the lack of confirmation or findings from the investigation. The Jenin camp in the West Bank is where three heinous terror attacks on civilians in Israel were orchestrated and planned. The Israel Defense Forces’ actions in the area, where they clashed with heavily armed Islamic Jihad militants, were undertaken to thwart further attacks on innocent civilians.
The Palestinian Forensic Medicine Institute Director, Dr Rayyan Al Ali, has said, "it cannot be determined whether [Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh] was killed by Israeli fire or by a Palestinian bullet." How does DIRCO purport to know more than the Israelis or Palestinians on this issue?
The South African Zionist Federation calls for calm and caution regarding the reporting of this tragedy, and for all media and for a government body such as DIRCO, to wait for the investigation to conclude before assigning responsibility.
It is also highly disturbing that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has refused to allow the bullet that hit the journalist to be examined by Israel in order to conduct a ballistics analysis, and has rejected a request to do a joint probe.
As many as 20 journalists have been killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine without a word of protest from DIRCO and we call out such double standards and blatant hypocrisy. DIRCO must explain why.
Our thoughts are with the family of the slain journalist and the injured reporter, Ali al-Samoudi, who was with her. We believe in the paramount importance of the freedom of the press, especially in conflict and war zones. It is essential that all possible precautions should be taken to avoid risks to journalists when reporting from conflict situations, which is the policy of the Israeli government.
Statements issued by Rolene Marks, Spokesperson, South African Zionist Federation, 11 and 12 May 2022
