Abu Akleh was “highly regarded” and seen as one of Al Jazeera’s “pre-eminent talents, whose coverage faced the intense scrutiny of vested interests on both sides of the conflict since she made her on-screen debut in 1997,” reported the Guardian.
“Shireen is the face/voice of events in the Palestinian territory – probably everyone who follows news from there knows her,” said Tamara Alrifai, a senior spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). “It’s not possible to follow news from the West Bank and not have heard/seen reporting from Shireen.
“She truly was a fixture of the Palestinian story and the fact that she has covered so many stormy events unscathed makes her death today even more shocking.”
Muzna Shihabi, a longstanding friend, said: “Shireen is a resilient person who lost her parents at a very young age but she bounced back and got her journalism degree at a time when journalists in the Arab world were just followers of their governments.
“She knew things were changing and she kept going on until she became the storyteller of the Palestine cause. She is a reference in the Arab world. Everyone in the street would stop and salute her for her courage and determination and unique way of telling the stories of Palestinians. Arabs cannot go to Palestine. Shireen took them there.”
The official reaction from around the world to the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh triggers an outpouring of condemnation and condolences.
United Kingdom
The UK’s ambassador to Israel, Neil Wigan, tweeted: “Journalists must be allowed to work safely and freely. I urge a rapid, thorough and transparent investigation.”
United Nations
The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield called Abu Akleg’s death “horrifying” and called for a transparent investigation. She said protecting American citizens and journalists was “our highest priority.”
Thomas-Greenfield said Abu Akleh did “an extraordinary interview” with her in the West Bank last November. “I left there feeling extraordinary respect for her,” she said.
The UN Human Rights office urged for an “independent, transparent investigation into her killing. Impunity must end.”
United States
The US joined calls for a thorough probe.
“We are heartbroken by and strongly condemn the killing of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank,” Ned Price, US State Department Spokesman, said on Twitter. “The investigation must be immediate and thorough and those responsible must be held accountable. Her death is an affront to media freedom everywhere,” he added.
The US ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides said he was “very sad” to learn about Abu Akleh’d death and called for a “thorough” investigation.
European Union
EU spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa, Luis Miguel Bueno, said on Twitter: “We express our deepest condolences to her family and call for a swift and independent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International’s Secretary-General said the killing was “a bloody reminder of the deadly system in which Israel locks Palestinians.”
“Israel is killing Palestinians left and right with impunity,” Agnes Callamard added.
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera – the media company Abu Akleh had worked at since 1997 condemned the “blatant murder” that violates “international laws and norms” and called her death a “heinous crime, through which it is intended to prevent the media from fulfilling its message.”
“We hold the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of the late colleague Shireen,” the statement said.
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority presidency condemned the killing as a “heinous crime” and says the murder was “part of the [Israeli] occupation’s policy of targeting journalists to obscure the truth and commit crimes silently”.
They said authorities have started an investigation and would take the case to the international criminal court.
Qatar
Qatar’s deputy PM and minister of foreign affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani offered his condolences to Abu Akleh’s family and colleagues on Twitter.
“Such horrific crimes by the occupation against unarmed Palestinian people should not pass without those responsible being held accountable and should not be subject to double standards,” said al-Thani.
Lolwah Alkhater, Qatar’s deputy foreign minister, called the killing “state-sponsored Israeli terrorism” and called for an end to “unconditional support to Israel”.
Israel
The Israeli military said its forces came under attack from heavy gunfire and explosives while operating in Jenin and they fired back. The military said it is “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that the journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen.”
The account has been contradicted by witness reports from other journalists who say there were no confrontations between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army.
Yair Lapid, Israel’s foreign minister, called on Palestinian authorities to hold a joint investigation into what he called an “unfortunate murder”, saying the Israeli forces would continue to operate everywhere “to prevent terrorism and the killing of Israelis”.
Egypt
The Egyptian foreign ministry paid tribute to Abu Akleh, condemning her death.
“We confirm that this [the killing of Abu Akleh] was a clear and heinous breach of international human rights law,” said the ministry in a statement.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry paid tribute to the journalist, saying: “We condemn the Israeli occupation’s deliberate killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Palestine.”
Pakistan
Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif condemned the “assassination” of Abu Akleh.
“Silencing voices of those who tell stories of oppressed people is part of a deliberate strategy employed by Israel & India in Palestine & Occupied Kashmir,” he wrote on Twitter.
China
Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said: “We are shocked and heavily oppose the actions of violence against journalists who are on duty and doing their job, we hope that such events of relevance are dealt with according to law and justice.”
Iran
Iran condemned Abu Akleh’s killing and said it shows what lengths Israel will go to in order to prevent the media from reporting the oppression of Palestinians.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called on international organisations and global media representatives to investigate the issue and “make sure the Zionist regime is held responsible for this crime”. He added that Israel’s offer to investigate lacks credibility.
Belgium
“We offer our condolences to her loved ones and call for quick and strict investigation,” the Belgian foreign ministry said in a statement.
National Union of Journalists
The NUJ (which represents journalists in the UK and Ireland) said in a statement that it was shocked by the killing and called for a swift investigation to hold those responsible to account.
“Attacks against Palestinian journalists in Israel have been condemned by the NUJ and International Federation of Journalists and action must be taken by Israeli authorities to ensure the safety and protection of journalists in the country,” the NUJ said.
