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Friends,
A year ago today, acclaimed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by the Israeli military. Shireen was fatally shot by a sniper while she was reporting for Al Jazeera on Israel’s “military raids” on the Jenin Refugee Camp in the northern West Bank.
Israel has continued to deny responsibility for Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing. Reviews of her death by multiple human rights organizations and forensic experts confirm that she was targeted and killed intentionally, but those by Israel and the United States have been “inconclusive" and deny any "intentionality." An FBI investigation is underway, but Israel has refused to cooperate with such an investigation.
The Abu Akleh family has pushed for accountability for Shireen's killing over the last year. Lina Abu Akleh, Shireen's niece, has documented those efforts in a Twitter thread published this week, including meetings with Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, members of Congress, and attempts to meet with President Biden. None of these visits have yet led to clear, meaningful action.
Shireen's brother Anton Abu Akleh discussed some of these meetings, and the family's quest for justice, in an interview that aired from Kumi Now Online May 2. The Abu Akleh family is seeking the following outcomes:
- that investigations be based on facts
- that investigations be fair and not politicized
- that the international community continue to seek justice for Shireen, as well as for the arrests and killings of other journalists
- that people continue to pressure their governments to seek justice for Shireen
- that those responsible for Shireen's assassination be held accountable.
At the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, we have written before about accountability for Shireen. We know it takes concerted effort from all of us to hold Israel, and the United States, accountable to the justice and human rights that are required for peace, so we ask you to help by learning more and taking action:
LEARN MORE
A year after Shireen Abu Akleh's killing, her family pushes for justice
By Raf Sanchez and Lawahez Jabari, NBC NEWS, May 11, 2023
Shireen Abu Akleh's Colleagues are Still Waiting for Justice
Alice Speri, The Intercept, May 9, 2023
The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh | Fault Lines
December 1, 2022 - This award-winning documentary with Correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous, recently received a George Polk Award from Long Island University honoring “excellence in print and broadcast journalism” and reporting that is “original, resourceful, and thought-provoking." With forensic accounting, interviews, and previous footage, the documentary shares how Shireen Abu Akleh was killed and how those in both the Israeli and U.S. Governments have responded.
The killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
B'Tselem, July 21, 2022
TAKE ACTION
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Wherever you are, continue to reach out to your government officials. Demand justice for the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and for all Palestinians. Remain steadfast in your commitment to remember Shireen, and to support the Abu Akleh family in their quest for accountability.
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Join us Friday, May 12th, 4:30-6:00 pm, at 4th & Water streets in downtown Olympia at the weekly peace vigil organized by the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation. We will remember Shireen and will mark the 75th anniversary of the "Nakba" that Palestinians continue to endure. Bring your own sign or use one of ours.
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The Rachel Corrie Foundation is pleased to join in endorsing Nakba 75: Resist Until Return, a Seattle community gathering, rally, and march to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Al-Nakba and to create a space to channel our grief into action. The event, organized by SUPER-UW, Falistiniyat, and Samidoun-Seattle, will uplift 75 years of Palestinian "sumud" (steadfastness) and unified resistance to the continuing ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Join this important Seattle event Saturday, May 13, 12 pm, at Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave.
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From May 15-20, Nelson Mandela's grandson, Chief Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela will keynote a U.S. speaking tour commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Nakba. Chief Mandela is an elected member of the South African National Assembly representing the African National Congress and, also, the tribal chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council. He holds a degree and post-graduate diploma in Political Science and International Studies from Rhodes University. Like his grandfather, Chief Mandela is unabashed in his support for the Palestinian people, an advocate and fighter for justice for oppressed people across the world, and speaks regularly about Palestinian liberation and resistance to zionist settler-colonialism. For free tickets, RSVP at mandelatour.com. Select the ticket reservation link to your speaking tour city (Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Orange County, San Francisco, and Chicago) and follow the instructions provided. Tickets are going fast! Donations to support the costs of the tour are welcomed upon registration.
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