Palestine condemns assasination of veteran journalist

11 May 2022

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine condemns the assassination of veteran Al-Jazeera journalist Sherine Abu Aqleh by Israeli occupation forces, and considers her a victim of the silence of the international community.

The Ministry condemns in the strongest terms the shocking, heinous crime that was deliberately committed by the Israeli occupation forces. Abu Aqleh, 51, was covering an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp when she was shot by a sniper directly in the head while wearing a jacket marked ‘press’. Another journalist, Ali Al-Samoudi was also shot in the back in the midst of heavy firing of live bullets with the aim of killing.

The Ministry considers this crime as part of the ongoing field executions against our people and particularly against journalists in a systematic attempt to silence the voice of truth by Israel, to cover up the crimes of the occupation and those of Israeli settlers against our people, whose lives, land, and property are destroyed.

The Ministry holds accountable the extremist Israeli Prime Minister, who has shown full and direct responsibility for this heinous crime, and considers Abu Aqila as a direct victim of the organised terrorism of the occupying state, which behaves with the mentality of Zionist gangs. Abu Aqila is a victim of double international standards and the dubious silence of the International Criminal Court.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates calls upon the specialised press, and human rights organisations to quickly document this heinous crime and prepare to bring it to international courts, especially the International Criminal Court.

Embassy of Palestine in South Africa