How impunity in Shireen Abu Akleh’s case fuels Israeli attacks on the press

Medics had to restrain Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi while tending to his bullet wound when the body of his colleague Shireen Abu Akleh arrived at Ibn Sina hospital in the occupied West Bank. “I managed to look and see Shireen lying next to me. I couldn’t believe the situation. I started screaming, and I tried to get to her. They didn’t let me,” said al-Samoudi as he recounted to Al Jazeera the events of May 11, 2022. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list “But I knew from my experience in field work that it was clear that she had been killed.” Earlier that day, Israeli soldiers had shot al-Samoudi in the back before firing another bullet that claimed the life of Abu Akleh, a US citizen and veteran Al Jazeera correspondent who was renowned across the Arab world. Monday marks the fourth anniversary of the killing of Abu Akleh. Immediately following the shooting, Al Jazeera denounced it as an assassination in “cold blood”. Since then, Israel has killed hundreds of journalists and more than 10 US citizens in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank. None of the killings, including the Abu Akleh case, led to any arrest or charges. Advocates say Washington’s failure to ensure accountability for the Al Jazeera correspondent set the stage for greater Israeli abuses against the press. …