– I have no words to describe missing Shireen, says Anton Abu Akleh. He is the older brother of the murdered journalist. – She was so kind, thoughtful, so quiet and calm. That she would be torn away like this, I never thought. Anton receives news in his childhood home in Jerusalem. The two siblings grew up here, and lived together until Shireen was killed. – We have eaten thousands of dinners and had good conversations at this table. There is the piano she was so fond of playing on, says the older brother and points to the piano which is now filled with pictures of her sister. KILLED ON THE JOB: The moment Shireen Abu Akleh was shot in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, while she was at work as a journalist for al-Jazeera. Photo: AFP Dramatic minutes More than two months later, Anton Abu Akleh is still struggling to understand why his sister was killed by Israeli soldiers. – It is very sad. They hit a defenseless journalist armed only with a pen or a camera, for no reason. It was a cold-blooded execution, he says. Shireen Abu Akleh was one of the most experienced Palestinian TV reporters. She had worked in al-Jazeera’s Arabic language channel for over 20 years. On the fateful day she was killed, she was covering Israeli military operations in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. She and her colleagues were wearing full protective equipment with the inscription “Press”. Mobile phone videos taken by the colleagues show the drama in the minutes before the journalist is shot. She stands at the bottom of a steep street with a group of colleagues. They are clearly visible with blue vests and helmets. Israeli soldiers stand about 200 meters up the street. There is a jovial atmosphere in the group. You can hear them joking and laughing. Suddenly, gunshots crackle around them. The journalists take off. – Shireen! Shireen!, shouts one of the colleagues in the video, before frantically calling an ambulance. WAS SHOT: Ali Sammoudi, who himself was shot by Israeli soldiers, points to the place where the soldiers fired from. Photo: Torstein Bøe / news The bullet exploded Shireen Abu Akleh and her colleague Ali Sammoudi were hit as they sought cover, he explains. – I was shot in the shoulder just above the heart, before I collapsed and fainted, says Sammoudi to news. He opens his shirt and shows us the bullet wound. Ali Sammoudi first woke up in the hospital and realized that he had been very lucky. It wasn’t Shireen Abu Akleh. – The doctors told me that she had been killed. My world collapsed. I tore off all the plastic tubes and sensors that were attached to my body, pushed the doctors awake and ran into the room where Shireen’s body was lying, says Sammoudi. The bullet went through her head and hit her helmet. There it exploded, blowing away parts of her face. – Shireen was my best friend. She was like a sister, says Ali Sammoudi. He shows us the place where the colleague took his last breaths. – Here she fell face down on the ground. NEAR COLLEAGUE: Shireen Abu Akleh’s colleague Ali Sammoudi shows bullet holes near the place where the journalist was killed. Photo: Torstein Bøe / news – Shoot to kill us The UN, Palestinian authorities, al-Jazeera, CNN and the Washington Post have all investigated the incident. The conclusion is clear: Shireen Abu Akleh was shot by an Israeli sniper. But Israel’s own investigation casts doubt on that conclusion. Israeli spokesmen initially claimed the journalist was killed by Palestinian militants, but later changed their explanation and said she may have been shot by an Israeli soldier. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) maintains that in that case she was “in no way shot on purpose”. – As Abu Akleh was killed in an active conflict zone, there is no immediate reason to suspect any criminal act unless further evidence comes to light, says Attorney General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi in a statement. She leads the military prosecution and is thus responsible for deciding whether any individual soldier should be held responsible for the fatal shot. – The conclusion of the preliminary report is that it is not possible to find out who fired the shot that hit and killed the reporter, the statement says. It provokes the family and colleagues of Shireen Abu Akleh. – They lie. It is not true. They shot to kill us, not to scare. I was shot in the heart. Shireen in the head. The bullets hit so high, says Ali Sammoudi. He points to the bullet holes in the tree that stands where Abu Akleh collapsed. – Why did they shoot 160-170 cm above the ground? It proves that they shot to kill us, says Ali indignantly. – The Israelis have not come up with a clear story that can be proven. They have given different explanations without presenting the facts every time they have been confronted, says the elder brother Anton Abu Akleh. Demands a new investigation The Palestinian-American family demands that the United States carry out a new independent investigation. – We want the FBI to investigate this. They are the only ones who can conduct such an investigation in a professional and independent manner. We will accept their conclusion, says Anton Abu Akleh. The family says they will not give up until Israel acknowledges Shireen’s murder, and holds the person or persons who fired the fatal shots accountable. It is the only way the brother can come to terms with what has happened, he explains. – How do you think your sister will be remembered? – Shireen wanted to unite Palestine. That is how Palestinians will remember her. She was their voice. She conveyed their pain to the world. Shireen was an angel. She will forever watch over the family. FAMOUS FACE: Shireen Abu Akleh has gained hero status throughout Palestine. Here she is painted on the wall that separates Israel and the occupied West Bank. Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP
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Wants the FBI to investigate the murder of al-Jazeera journalist – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
