Al Jazeera's Shireen Abu Akleh: pioneering Palestinian reporter
Palestinians hold posters displaying veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, in the West Bank city of Hebron
This handout picture obtained from a former colleague of Shireen Abu Akleh shows her reporting for the Doha-based news channel Al Jazeera from Jerusalem on July 22, 2017 (AFP/-)
- Breaking gender roles -
Journalist Muhammad Daraghmeh, a close friend who teaches at Birzeit University in the West Bank, said Abu Akleh was "one of the strongest journalists in the Arab world".
Her prominence grew through her coverage of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, from 2000 to 2005.
Senior Al Jazeera journalist Dima Khatib tweeted that Abu Akleh was "one of the first Arab women war correspondents in the late 1990s when the traditional role of women was to present from the television studio".
"Shireen was a pioneer in a generation that broke stereotypical gender roles in TV journalism."
Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Authority and witnesses said she was shot by Israeli forces while covering an Israeli army raid in Jenin.
Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was "likely" that she was killed by indiscriminate gunfire from Palestinian militants.
Abdel-Hamid said: "We need investigation and accountability, not just investigations that lead nowhere."
People mourn Al Jazeera journalist killed during Israel West Bank raid
In a recent interview, Abu Akleh said she was often afraid while reporting but made sure to avoid unnecessary risk.
"I don't throw myself at death," she told an outlet in the West Bank city of Nablus. "I search for a safe place to stand and how to protect my crew before worrying about the footage."
Last year, Abu Akleh wrote in the publication This Week in Palestine that Jenin, the place where she died, was not just "one ephemeral story in my career or even in my personal life".
"It is the city that can raise my morale and help me fly. It embodies the Palestinian spirit that sometimes trembles and falls but, beyond all expectations, rises to pursue its flights and dreams."
bur-yz/bs/fz/dv
Palestinians hold posters displaying veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, in the West Bank city of Hebron
(AFP/HAZEM BADER)
Wed, May 11, 2022, AFP
Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed Wednesday while covering clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was among Arab media's most prominent figures and widely hailed for her bravery and professionalism.
In the hours after her death, young Palestinians described Abu Akleh, 51, as an inspiration, especially to women, many of whom were motivated to pursue journalism because of her.
"She never tired," Al Jazeera senior international correspondent Hoda Abdel-Hamid told AFP by phone from Ukraine. "She was always there whenever anything happened... She wanted to be there, to tell the story, constantly," she added.
In an interview shortly before her death, Abu Akleh, who was also a US citizen, described herself as a "product of Jerusalem," with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict shaping much of her life.
She was born in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem to a Palestinian Christian family. Her mother was born in west Jerusalem, before the creation of Israel in 1948, and her father was from Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
She graduated from university the year the Oslo peace accords were signed and then joined the nascent Voice of Palestine radio, before switching to Al Jazeera in 1997, where she went on to become an iconic personality in Arab media.
In a sign of her importance to Palestinian audiences, flowers were placed on the side of the road by West Bank residents as the vehicle carrying her body moved towards Nablus, where an autopsy was scheduled before her burial in Jerusalem.
Wed, May 11, 2022, AFP
Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed Wednesday while covering clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was among Arab media's most prominent figures and widely hailed for her bravery and professionalism.
In the hours after her death, young Palestinians described Abu Akleh, 51, as an inspiration, especially to women, many of whom were motivated to pursue journalism because of her.
"She never tired," Al Jazeera senior international correspondent Hoda Abdel-Hamid told AFP by phone from Ukraine. "She was always there whenever anything happened... She wanted to be there, to tell the story, constantly," she added.
In an interview shortly before her death, Abu Akleh, who was also a US citizen, described herself as a "product of Jerusalem," with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict shaping much of her life.
She was born in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem to a Palestinian Christian family. Her mother was born in west Jerusalem, before the creation of Israel in 1948, and her father was from Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
She graduated from university the year the Oslo peace accords were signed and then joined the nascent Voice of Palestine radio, before switching to Al Jazeera in 1997, where she went on to become an iconic personality in Arab media.
In a sign of her importance to Palestinian audiences, flowers were placed on the side of the road by West Bank residents as the vehicle carrying her body moved towards Nablus, where an autopsy was scheduled before her burial in Jerusalem.
This handout picture obtained from a former colleague of Shireen Abu Akleh shows her reporting for the Doha-based news channel Al Jazeera from Jerusalem on July 22, 2017 (AFP/-)
- Breaking gender roles -
Journalist Muhammad Daraghmeh, a close friend who teaches at Birzeit University in the West Bank, said Abu Akleh was "one of the strongest journalists in the Arab world".
Her prominence grew through her coverage of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, from 2000 to 2005.
Senior Al Jazeera journalist Dima Khatib tweeted that Abu Akleh was "one of the first Arab women war correspondents in the late 1990s when the traditional role of women was to present from the television studio".
"Shireen was a pioneer in a generation that broke stereotypical gender roles in TV journalism."
Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Authority and witnesses said she was shot by Israeli forces while covering an Israeli army raid in Jenin.
Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was "likely" that she was killed by indiscriminate gunfire from Palestinian militants.
Abdel-Hamid said: "We need investigation and accountability, not just investigations that lead nowhere."
People mourn Al Jazeera journalist killed during Israel West Bank raid
(AFP/Jaafar ASHTIYEH)
In a recent interview, Abu Akleh said she was often afraid while reporting but made sure to avoid unnecessary risk.
"I don't throw myself at death," she told an outlet in the West Bank city of Nablus. "I search for a safe place to stand and how to protect my crew before worrying about the footage."
Last year, Abu Akleh wrote in the publication This Week in Palestine that Jenin, the place where she died, was not just "one ephemeral story in my career or even in my personal life".
"It is the city that can raise my morale and help me fly. It embodies the Palestinian spirit that sometimes trembles and falls but, beyond all expectations, rises to pursue its flights and dreams."
bur-yz/bs/fz/dv
Al Jazeera reporter killed: 'Independent investigation' is necessary, says Reporters Without Borders
Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American who was among the network's most prominent figures, was shot dead Wednesday as she covered an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank. Pauline Ades-Mevel, Reporters Without Borders's spokeperson, says that an "independent investigation is necessary to avoid impunity".
Al Jazeera pays tearful tribute to journalist killed in Israeli raid
Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead as she covered an Israeli raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank - -
by Tim Witcher
May 11, 2022 — Doha (AFP)
Al Jazeera's newsdesk told Shireen Abu Akleh they would keep a spot for her "at the top of the hour" after she said in an email she was going to cover an Israeli operation in the Palestinian town of Jenin.
"But she never turned up," said Mohamed Moawad, the Arabic channel's head of output, fighting back tears as he told of the final contacts with the veteran journalist on a typically risky mission.
"The last communication was 20 minutes before this heinous crime happened," Moawad told AFP shortly after staff held their own broadcast tribute to the 51-year-old.
"She sent an email that said 'Hi, there is an Israeli intervention in Jenin and I am heading there now. I am almost there. I will send you details'."
Instead of her live report from the raid, Al Jazeera staff were shaken to see social media images indicating she had been shot.
Moawad said another journalist soon sent a message informing them she had died three kilometres (nearly two miles) from the edge of Jenin in the West Bank.
She had been with four other journalists, all wearing blue press vests and helmets, according to the Al Jazeera chief.
The Qatari state-owned channel said Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American, had been killed "in cold blood" and demanded Israeli forces be held accountable.
Israel said it was investigating the death but denied Abu Akleh had been deliberately hit. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was "likely" Palestinian gunfire had hit her.
- 'Extremely brave' -
"We consider this something intentional because the bullet hit exactly the area below her ear where there is no cover," said Moawad, who added that "reckless" comments had been made in Israel about the killing.
Al Jazeera journalists shed tears during the minute when its broadcasts were silenced as a tribute to the journalist who joined the channel shortly after it opened in 1996.
Many who had worked with Abu Akleh embraced in the newsroom, clutching portraits of the journalist and sheets stating "Journalism is not a crime", as images showing the latest violence in the Palestinian territories flashed up on their work screens.
Abu Akleh -- the second journalist hired by Al Jazeera in the Palestinian territories -- became the 12th journalist from the channel to be killed on duty since it started broadcasting.
"She was everywhere where there was a story. She has been everywhere to give voice to the voiceless," said Moawad.
"There are so many videos showing Shireen getting attacked by Israeli forces, getting attacked by bullets and other stuff."
Abu Akleh had never complained about her own safety though, he added.
"She was always there covering the story without any kind of fear. We never assigned Shireen to do a story, she was just there. She showed up."
Hoda Abdel-Hamid, a senior correspondent at Al Jazeera, said Abu Akleh was "extremely brave".
"But she was also a very experienced journalist, she was not one to take stupid risks for the hell of it," she told AFP from her mission in Ukraine.
"I am pretty sure that today she was in a safe place, in a place that was for journalists and she was clearly marked.
"She wouldn't be jumping in the crossfire just for the hell of it. She wouldn't do that."
Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead as she covered an Israeli raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank - -
by Tim Witcher
May 11, 2022 — Doha (AFP)
Al Jazeera's newsdesk told Shireen Abu Akleh they would keep a spot for her "at the top of the hour" after she said in an email she was going to cover an Israeli operation in the Palestinian town of Jenin.
"But she never turned up," said Mohamed Moawad, the Arabic channel's head of output, fighting back tears as he told of the final contacts with the veteran journalist on a typically risky mission.
"The last communication was 20 minutes before this heinous crime happened," Moawad told AFP shortly after staff held their own broadcast tribute to the 51-year-old.
"She sent an email that said 'Hi, there is an Israeli intervention in Jenin and I am heading there now. I am almost there. I will send you details'."
Instead of her live report from the raid, Al Jazeera staff were shaken to see social media images indicating she had been shot.
Moawad said another journalist soon sent a message informing them she had died three kilometres (nearly two miles) from the edge of Jenin in the West Bank.
She had been with four other journalists, all wearing blue press vests and helmets, according to the Al Jazeera chief.
The Qatari state-owned channel said Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American, had been killed "in cold blood" and demanded Israeli forces be held accountable.
Israel said it was investigating the death but denied Abu Akleh had been deliberately hit. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was "likely" Palestinian gunfire had hit her.
- 'Extremely brave' -
"We consider this something intentional because the bullet hit exactly the area below her ear where there is no cover," said Moawad, who added that "reckless" comments had been made in Israel about the killing.
Al Jazeera journalists shed tears during the minute when its broadcasts were silenced as a tribute to the journalist who joined the channel shortly after it opened in 1996.
Many who had worked with Abu Akleh embraced in the newsroom, clutching portraits of the journalist and sheets stating "Journalism is not a crime", as images showing the latest violence in the Palestinian territories flashed up on their work screens.
Abu Akleh -- the second journalist hired by Al Jazeera in the Palestinian territories -- became the 12th journalist from the channel to be killed on duty since it started broadcasting.
"She was everywhere where there was a story. She has been everywhere to give voice to the voiceless," said Moawad.
"There are so many videos showing Shireen getting attacked by Israeli forces, getting attacked by bullets and other stuff."
Abu Akleh had never complained about her own safety though, he added.
"She was always there covering the story without any kind of fear. We never assigned Shireen to do a story, she was just there. She showed up."
Hoda Abdel-Hamid, a senior correspondent at Al Jazeera, said Abu Akleh was "extremely brave".
"But she was also a very experienced journalist, she was not one to take stupid risks for the hell of it," she told AFP from her mission in Ukraine.
"I am pretty sure that today she was in a safe place, in a place that was for journalists and she was clearly marked.
"She wouldn't be jumping in the crossfire just for the hell of it. She wouldn't do that."
Shireen Abu Aqla: Palestinians’ 'voice and face' to the Arab world
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH -
© (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Jerusalem Post
For many Palestinians, Shireen Abu Aqla, the veteran Al-Jazeera reporter who was killed during an IDF operation in Jenin on Wednesday morning, was more than a journalist.
For the past two decades, Abu Aqla, a resident of east Jerusalem, became known as one of the main voices and faces of the Palestinians in the popular Qatari-owned TV network.
She was one of the few Palestinian female journalists who reported from the field, especially in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Some of her colleagues described her as the “Palestinian war correspondent.”
“She was a fearless reporter,” said one of her colleagues. “She never hesitated to go to places where clashes were taking place. She loved her work.”
Many of her colleagues appreciated her courage for reporting from the scenes of clashes between Israeli policemen and soldiers. They also described her as one of the most professional female journalists.
© Provided by The Jerusalem Post
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH -
© (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Jerusalem Post
For many Palestinians, Shireen Abu Aqla, the veteran Al-Jazeera reporter who was killed during an IDF operation in Jenin on Wednesday morning, was more than a journalist.
For the past two decades, Abu Aqla, a resident of east Jerusalem, became known as one of the main voices and faces of the Palestinians in the popular Qatari-owned TV network.
She was one of the few Palestinian female journalists who reported from the field, especially in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Some of her colleagues described her as the “Palestinian war correspondent.”
“She was a fearless reporter,” said one of her colleagues. “She never hesitated to go to places where clashes were taking place. She loved her work.”
Many of her colleagues appreciated her courage for reporting from the scenes of clashes between Israeli policemen and soldiers. They also described her as one of the most professional female journalists.
© Provided by The Jerusalem Post
Joint LIst MKs Ayman Odeh, Aida Touma-Sliman and Ofer Cassif visit the family of killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022.
(credit: JOINT LIST SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)
Abu Aqla, 51, reported extensively on the situation in the city, including the violence that erupted at the Aqsa Mosque compound, the Old City’s Damascus Gate and the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
She also reported on the situation in the West Bank with a focus on clashes between IDF soldiers and Palestinians. She often appeared on Al-Jazeera wearing a helmet and a vest with a “press” sign.
When she was once asked about the dangers she faces while covering the violence, Abu Aqla replied: “Death was always a short distance away. During the difficult moments, I overcame the fear. I chose journalism to be close to the human being. It’s probably not easy for me to change the reality, but at least I was able to communicate that voice to the world.”
Abu Aqla rose to stardom during the Second Intifada, which erupted in 2000. Her reporting on the daily violence turned her into one of the most popular reporters in the eyes of Al-Jazeera’s millions of viewers in the Arab world.
She was also known for her criticism of Israel. In one of her recent tweets, she wrote: “No Arab will be able to ignore the Palestinian issue, no matter how much Israel tries to marginalize this issue.”
Abu Aqla, whose family is originally from Bethlehem, was raised in east Jerusalem, where she went to the Rosary Sisters’ School.
After completing her studies in journalism in Jordan, she returned to the city, where she initially worked for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). She was later hired by the PA’s Voice of Palestine radio station and Monte Carlo radio’s Arab news department. In 1997, she began working for Al-Jazeera’s newly established bureau in Jerusalem.
Abu Aqla, 51, reported extensively on the situation in the city, including the violence that erupted at the Aqsa Mosque compound, the Old City’s Damascus Gate and the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
She also reported on the situation in the West Bank with a focus on clashes between IDF soldiers and Palestinians. She often appeared on Al-Jazeera wearing a helmet and a vest with a “press” sign.
When she was once asked about the dangers she faces while covering the violence, Abu Aqla replied: “Death was always a short distance away. During the difficult moments, I overcame the fear. I chose journalism to be close to the human being. It’s probably not easy for me to change the reality, but at least I was able to communicate that voice to the world.”
Abu Aqla rose to stardom during the Second Intifada, which erupted in 2000. Her reporting on the daily violence turned her into one of the most popular reporters in the eyes of Al-Jazeera’s millions of viewers in the Arab world.
She was also known for her criticism of Israel. In one of her recent tweets, she wrote: “No Arab will be able to ignore the Palestinian issue, no matter how much Israel tries to marginalize this issue.”
Abu Aqla, whose family is originally from Bethlehem, was raised in east Jerusalem, where she went to the Rosary Sisters’ School.
After completing her studies in journalism in Jordan, she returned to the city, where she initially worked for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). She was later hired by the PA’s Voice of Palestine radio station and Monte Carlo radio’s Arab news department. In 1997, she began working for Al-Jazeera’s newly established bureau in Jerusalem.
Read more on the death of journalist Shireen Abu Aqla in Jenin:
Journalist killed in Jenin, investigation opened by IDF
Who killed Shireen Abu Akleh, IDF soldiers or Palestinians?
Israeli leaders react to the death of the journalist
Arab world condemns Israel over death of Al Jazeera journalist
Who was Shireen Abu Aqla?
Journalist killed in Jenin, investigation opened by IDF
Who killed Shireen Abu Akleh, IDF soldiers or Palestinians?
Israeli leaders react to the death of the journalist
Arab world condemns Israel over death of Al Jazeera journalist
Who was Shireen Abu Aqla?
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