Lack of accountability for Shireen Abu Akleh's killing fuels Israeli attacks on press

On the fourth anniversary of the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, rights advocates and eyewitnesses assert that the absence of justice regarding the incident has enabled further Israeli abuses against the press. Eyewitness Ali al-Samoudi describes the May 11, 2022, shooting as a targeted attack where Abu Akleh and he were killed without warning while wearing marked press gear. Despite investigations opened by both Israeli and US authorities, no arrests or criminal charges have been made against those responsible.

Reporters Without Borders and other groups note that Israel has become the world's top killer of journalists, with the US failing to impose sanctions or consequences on Israel for the incident. Al-Samoudi, who was released from Israeli administrative detention earlier this month after spending a year in custody, argued that the lack of accountability allows Israel to execute journalists with ease. He stated that the failure to prosecute the perpetrators of the crime of assassination against Abu Akleh led to the systemic and widespread killing of journalists that is being witnessed today.

The US failure to impose sanctions or ensure justice for Abu Akleh, due to its military aid and diplomatic support for Israel, has set a precedent for further abuses according to rights advocates. James Zogby of the Arab American Institute noted that the US is the only power that could play a role here, yet it chooses not to use its levers. He described the US investigation as a means of shielding Israel through delay, adopting a game plan of obfuscation that has worked for Israel in the past to avoid accountability.

While Israeli officials initially claimed the shooting was accidental or caused by Palestinian fighters, a narrative that collapsed before shifting to an investigation which concluded there was a "high possibility" of an accident, eyewitness accounts contradict this. Al-Samoudi stated that the two journalists were alone and looking for a safe spot when the first shot rang, with no warning issued. He highlighted that Abu Akleh was shot in the neck in a small, exposed area, asserting that this was not an accident or a coincidence.

Over the past four years, Israel has been identified by press freedom groups as the world's top killer of journalists. In many instances, the Israeli military has been documenting and sharing footage of assassinations of journalists, baselessly claiming that they belonged to Palestinian or Lebanese armed groups. Al-Samoudi highlighted that the Israeli military has recently begun sharing such footage, falsely labelling journalist victims as armed group members to justify the killings.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, more than 40 Palestinian journalists remain in Israeli prisons. Al-Samoudi underscored the growing trend of detaining journalists without a charge to which he himself has fallen victim, noting that journalists in the West Bank are also facing the growing threat of violent settlers backed by the Israeli military. He stated that the coverage continues and that Shireen Abu Akleh's voice will not be silenced despite the attempts to stop them from doing their work.