When political arrogance reaches an unimaginable level and Israel believes that it is above the law and enjoys absolute protection, its criminal practices including extrajudicial killings, destroying Palestinian homes, confiscating lands, violating sacred places, displacing people and building settlements will become an obstacle to the regional peace and a matter of great concern for the international community.
It is a bitter truth that under the Israeli occupation Palestinians see gun shots, military raids and news of the Zionist forces arresting or killing them in cold blood. Yesterday, they woke up with the heartbreaking news of assassination of Al Jazeera Arabic channel reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in cold blood, while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied city of Jenin. Her colleague Ali Al Samoudi was also shot in the back, whose condition fortunately is stable.
For decades, Israel has been targeting the offices of international media, including Al Jazeera’s offices in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories, killing and injuring dozens of reporters. Imprisoning hundreds of journalists by the occupation forces has become a common phenomenon. The reality is that when Israeli forces commit crimes they get absolute protection from the international community. This is nothing but hypocrisy and double standard. We only hear condemnations and expressions of concern whenever Israeli regime commits crimes against the innocent Palestinian people, but no concrete action. It is a practice by Israel to prevent international bodies from conducting independent investigation.
Fatal shooting of Abu Akleh and targeting media outlets will not prevent the emerging truth or prevent the Palestinians from defending their right to live in the homeland. It will further push to more resistance and increasing tensions in all the occupied territories.
The State of Qatar condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation forces’ assassination of Al Jazeera’s reporter Shireen Abu Akleh and injuring her colleague Ali Al Samudi. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the action as ‘a heinous crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a blatant infringement on freedom of media and expression and the right of peoples to access information’.
Qatar demanded the international community to take urgent action to prevent the occupation authorities from committing further violations against the freedom of expression and information, and to take all measures to stop violence against Palestinian people and journalists. While we express our deep sorrow for the loss of our colleague Shireen, we believe that the bullet that penetrated her body is directed at every journalist and media person in the world, so the international community must hold Israeli authorities accountable for the horrific crimes it is committing on a daily basis.
