Journalists, diplomats, religious leaders and officials including the Arab member of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, attended the memorial procession at the Palestinian President’s residence, which witnessed Abu Akleh’s Palestinian flag-covered coffin was brought in as the honor guards played musical instruments. Crowds gathered in the streets outside the mansion heard chants of “honest voices never die” and “we sacrifice our blood and spirit for you, Shireen.”
The memorial was attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who in his speech at the event rejected Israel’s offer of a joint investigation into the killing of Abu Akleh and vowed to bring the case up. ICC.
“We reject, and continue to reject, the joint investigation with the Israeli occupation authorities because they committed crimes and we don’t trust them,” said Abbas, standing in front of Abu Akleh’s coffin. “We are going to the International Criminal Court immediately to find the killers.”
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayyeh said the government would share the results of the investigation with the United States, Qatar and the ICC, adding that it would soon be concluded and would include an autopsy report.
The Palestinian American was shot dead Wednesday while reporting on Israeli military air strikes in the West Bank city of Jenin. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Akleh’s producer, Ali Al-Samudi, was also shot and is in stable condition.
After the procession, Abu Akleh’s body was taken to St Joseph’s Hospital in East Jerusalem, where journalists and friends stood outside, crying as they hugged. A crowd of supporters gathered outside the hospital, holding roses and chanting “God rest your soul, Shireen.”
When the ambulance carrying Abu Akleh pulled up, dozens of people gathered to help bring her coffin to the hospital, covered with roses and Palestinian flags.
The mourners also placed flowers at the door of Abu Akleh’s house in the Beit Hanina neighborhood of Jerusalem.
“Shireen is my daughter, her parents are dead but we are all her parents,” said Nafisa Khwais, 63, who sits next to Abu Akleh’s house, “we are all family hers.”
“Her silence will never stop us from resisting and telling our story,” Khwais added.
Al Jazeera has accused Israeli security forces of deliberately targeting and killing Abu Akleh, 51, one of the most famous journalists in the Arab world. Her death sparked regional and international outrage and calls for accountability.
The circumstances surrounding her death are unclear. Three witnesses told CNN that the journalists were shot by the Israeli military and that there were no Palestinian fighters next to the journalists at the time.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid proposed a joint Israeli-Palestinian investigation into the deaths on Wednesday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said their forces came under heavy attack during the counter-terrorism operation and they returned fire.
The IDF’s international spokesman, Amnon Shefler, told CNN late Wednesday that the Israelis “just don’t know yet” who killed Abu Akhleh, in what appeared to downplay previous statements by Israeli officials. that she was “likely” to be shot by bullets from the Palestinian Warriors.
Her employer, Al Jazeera, called her death “a blatant murder” by Israeli forces.
Abu Akleh’s funeral will take place Friday at the Roman Catholic Church in Bab Al-Khalil, before she is buried in Jerusalem’s Mount Zion Cemetery next to her parents.
Celine Alkhaldi, Nadeen Ebrahim and Mostafa Salem of CNN in Abu Dhabi contributed to this report.
