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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 14 May 2022
Israeli police beat pallbearers at journalist's funeral

By JOSEF FEDERMAN ripping Palestinian flags off
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli the vehicle as it made its
riot police on Friday pushed way to the church.
and beat pallbearers at the "We die for Palestine to
funeral for slain Al Jazeera live!" crowds chanted. "Our
journalist Shireen Abu Ak- beloved home!"
leh, causing them to briefly Later, they sang the Pales-
drop the casket in a shock- tinian national anthem and
ing start to a procession chanted "Palestine, Pales-
that turned into perhaps tine!" before her body was
the largest display of Pales- buried in a cemetery out-
tinian nationalism in Jerusa- side the Old City.
lem in a generation. Her grave was decorated
The scenes of violence with a Palestinian flag and
were likely to add to the flowers. The Palestinian am-
sense of grief and outrage bassador to the U.K., Husam
across the Arab world that Zomlot, and Al Jazeera's
has followed the death of bureau chief, Walid Al-
Abu Akleh, who witnesses Omari, placed flowers on
say was killed by Israeli the grave.
troops Wednesday during Salah Zuheika, a 70-year-
a raid in the occupied West old Palestinian, called Abu
Bank. They also illustrated Israeli police confront with mourners as they carry the casket of slain Al Jazeera veteran journalist Akleh "the daughter of Je-
the deep sensitivities over Shireen Abu Akleh during her funeral in east Jerusalem, Friday, May 13, 2022. rusalem," and said the huge
east Jerusalem -- which is Associated Press crowds were a "reward" for
claimed by both Israel and her love of the city.
the Palestinians and has people's hands and fired down on any displays of ment that the police action "We already miss her, but
sparked repeated rounds stun grenades to disperse support for Palestinian "violates all international what had happened to-
of violence. the crowd. statehood. norms and rights." day in the city will not be
Abu Akleh, 51, was a house- Abu Akleh's brother, Tony, Police said the crowd at "Israeli occupation forces forgotten," he said.
hold name across the Arab said the scenes "prove that the hospital was chanting attacked those mourn- Abu Akleh was a member
world, synonymous with Al Shireen's reports and hon- "nationalist incitement," ing the late Shireen Abu of the small Palestinian
Jazeera's coverage of life est words ... had a powerful ignored calls to stop and Akhleh after storming the Christian community in the
under Israeli rule, which is impact." threw stones at them. "The French hospital in Jerusa- Holy Land. Palestinian Chris-
well into its sixth decade Al Jazeera correspondent policemen were forced to lem, where they severely tians and Muslims marched
with no end in sight. A 25- Givara Budeiri said the po- act," police said. They is- beat the pallbearers," it alongside one another Fri-
year veteran of the satellite lice crackdown was like sued a video in which a said. The network added day in a show of unity.
channel, she was revered killing Abu Akleh again. "It commander outside the that it remains committed She was shot in the head
by Palestinians as a local seems her voice isn't silent," hospital warns the crowd to covering the news and during an Israeli military raid
hero. she said during a report by that police will come in will not be deterred. in the West Bank town of
Thousands of people, the broadcaster. if they don't stop their in- White House press secre- Jenin. But the circumstanc-
many waving Palestinian East Jerusalem, home to citement and "nationalist tary Jen Psaki called the es of the shooting remain in
flags and chanting "Pales- the city's most important songs." images "deeply disturbing." dispute.
tine! Palestine!" attended Jewish, Muslim and Chris- An Israeli official said the The focus should be "mark- The Palestinians say army
the funeral. It was believed tian holy sites, was cap- details of the funeral had ing the memory of a re- fire killed her, while the Is-
to be the largest Palestinian tured by Israel in the 1967 been coordinated with markable journalist who raeli military said Friday
funeral in Jerusalem since Mideast war. It claims all of the family ahead of time lost her life," Psaki said. "We that she was killed during
Faisal Husseini, a Palestin- the city as its eternal capi- to ensure it would run regret the intrusion into an exchange with fire with
ian leader and scion of a tal and has annexed the smoothly, but that "masses what should have been a Palestinian militants. It said
prominent family, died in eastern sector in a move began gathering around peaceful procession." it could not determine who
2001. that is not internationally the hearse of Shireen Abu During a Rose Garden was responsible for her
Ahead of the burial, a recognized. Akleh and chaos ensued," event, U.S. President Joe death without a ballistic
large crowd gathered to The Palestinians claim east preventing the procession Biden was asked whether analysis.
escort her casket from an Jerusalem as the capital of from going along its intend- he condemns the Israeli "The conclusion of the in-
east Jerusalem hospital to a future independent state. ed route. The official spoke police actions at the funer- terim investigation is that it
a Catholic church in the Israel routinely clamps on condition of anonymity al, and he replied: "I don't is not possible to determine
nearby Old City. Many of down on any displays of in line with regulations. know all the details, but the source of the fire that
the mourners held Palestin- support for Palestinian Earlier this week, Abu Ak- I know it has to be investi- hit and killed the reporter,"
ian flags, and the crowd statehood. The conflicting leh's brother said the origi- gated." the military said.
began shouting, "We sacri- claims to east Jerusalem of- nal arrangement was Farhan Haq, a spokesman Israel has called for a joint
fice our soul and blood for ten spill over into violence, to move the casket in a for U.N. Secretary-General investigation with the Pales-
you, Shireen." helping fuel an 11-day war hearse from the hospital Antonio Guterres, called tinian Authority and for it to
Shortly after, Israel police between Israel and Gaza to the church, and that af- the images from the funer- hand over the bullet for fo-
moved in, pushing and militants last year and more ter the service, it would be al "very shocking," adding: rensic analysis to determine
clubbing mourners. As the recently sparking weeks carried through the streets "We want to make sure that who fired the fatal round.
helmeted riot police ap- of unrest at the city's most to the cemetery. It was the basic rights to freedom The PA has refused, say-
proached, they hit pall- sensitive holy site. not immediately clear why of assembly and, of course, ing it will conduct its own
bearers, causing one man Outside of prayers at the Al those plans had changed the right to freedom of investigation and send the
to lose control of the cas- Aqsa Mosque, Israel rarely and pallbearers emerged peaceful demonstration results to the International
ket as it dropped toward allows large Palestinian from the hospital carrying are protected and upheld." Criminal Court, which is
the ground. Police ripped gatherings in east Jerusa- the casket. Israeli police later escorted already investigating pos-
Palestinian flags out of lem and routinely clamps Al Jazeera said in a state- the casket in a black van, sible Israeli war crimes.q