A demonstration in support of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, killed on Wednesday by an Israeli sniper shot in the head, was organized in Rabat to denounce “Zionist terrorism”.
On Wednesday, when one of Al Jazeera’s most prominent journalists was killed by the Israeli army while covering clashes in the West Bank, the usual international reactions and condemnations of such events were long in coming.
For the witnesses on the spot, the Palestinian leaders and his employer, the Qatari television channel, as well as their colleagues who were also targeted, the responsibility of the State of Israel is beyond doubt.
At 6 p.m. in Rabat, the national working group for Palestine met immediately for a demonstration of “denunciation of Zionist terrorism” following the assassination of the journalist who wore a vest with the inscription “press” on the back and was therefore easily identifiable.
The demonstration brought together several sympathizers of the Palestinian cause, who hoisted banners and portraits of the journalist killed instantly by a bullet in the face.
The Syndicat National de la Presse Marocaine (SNPM) also issued a statement condemning the assassination of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
“We have received with great pain and anger the news of the death of our Palestinian colleague, Sherine Abu Aqleh, correspondent for the Al-Jazeera news channel, who died as a martyr while carrying out her noble mission, namely cover the attacks of the Israeli occupation army,” the union said.
“After reviewing all the circumstances of this vile crime, it became clear that it was a premeditated act, especially since the crime scene was not full of confrontations at this time. time there, and that there were only women journalists and journalists, wearing their helmets and protective vests with the badge of the press”, continued the same source.
Crimes targeting journalists in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israeli forces are frequent, and more than 50 murder crimes targeting the journalistic corps have been observed since the year 2000, the Syndicate said in its statement saying that this “ proves the existence of a trend and clear precedents aimed at preventing journalists from covering the violations of the Israeli army”.
In a statement, the channel for which the journalist worked, claimed that Shireen Abu Akleh was killed “in cold blood” by Israeli forces.
“Al-Jazeera condemns this heinous crime, which aims to prevent the media from doing their job,” said the Qatari channel, calling on the international community to “hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for intentionally targeting and killed Shireen”, who was shot “in the face”.
An AFP photographer on the spot also confirmed that it was Israeli army fire. Another journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, also accused the Israeli army of opening fire on the journalists.
“We were on our way to cover the army operation when they opened fire on us (…) A bullet hit me. The second bullet hit Shireen,” he said as he too was injured and taken to hospital.
For their part, the United States “strongly condemned” the death of the American-Palestinian journalist from Al Jazeera, and called for a “transparent” and “immediate” investigation.
“This must be studied in a transparent way. We encourage both parties to participate in this investigation so that we can understand why this happened,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she had granted an interview to this journalist in November during a stay in the region and added that she had “extraordinary respect for her”.
“We call for a transparent investigation into his murder,” insisted the American diplomat, affirming the importance “that journalists can do their job without fear” and that the United States protects Americans who are in Israel and the journalists.
The State Department also called for an “immediate and thorough” investigation, asking that the culprits “be accountable”, said the spokesman for American diplomacy, Ned Price.
“We are heartbroken and strongly condemn the murder of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,” he tweeted.
Israel, for its part through the voice of its Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, denies being the author of this crime, and declared that it was not clear who was responsible, calling it “premature and irresponsible to shift the blame at this stage “.
Later Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz promised a transparent investigation and said he was in contact with US and Palestinian officials. .
