On May 11, Israeli forces conducted one of many illegal raids in Jenin, in the West Bank. An Israeli sniper shot renowned Palestinian AlJazeera correspondent, Shireen Abu Akleh, who was clearly marked as a member of the press. The Israeli regime, pro-Israel governments, and major mainstream media outlets ignored first-hand testimony of journalists present during the murder of Abu Akleh, and began a disinformation campaign shifting blame and justifying her killing.
Israel claimed that Abu Akleh was killed by Palestinian militants in crossfire - though no crossfire occurred at the time of her killing, proved by an investigation conducted by B'Tselem. Then, Israel said it would investigate what happened, but a quickly announced that the investigation was not of a criminal nature. At an official level, Israel’s allies called for an independent investigation into the killing, while tacitly accepting that there will not be any consequences for Israel.
Despite numerous independent investigations by international news outlets and organizations, as well as eyewitness testimonies identifying Israel as the aggressor, the Apartheid State maintained impunity in killing Palestinians.
Israeli police also raided Abu Akleh's Jerusalem home where family members and other mourners gathered as well as the mourning house in al-Liqa. They attempted to confiscate Palestinian flags and demanded that the family turn off the national songs that were playing. Another assault occurred on May 13, the day of her funeral: Israeli police raided the hospital from which Abu Akleh's funeral procession was set to begin and physically assaulted Palestinians attending her funeral, including several pallbearers who nearly dropped her casket. That same day, Israeli forces raided Jenin again. They fired an anti-tank missile at a building rendering its Palestinian residents homeless, and forced 16-year-old Ahed Mohammad Reda Mereb and her father to stand in front of their vehicle, using her as a human shield while they fired and injured 13 Palestinians. One of those victims succumbed to his wounds two days later.
The May raids into Jenin were not extraordinary events – Israel regularly raids Palestinian towns in an attempt to quash Palestinian resistance. They terrorize families, detain youth, and demolish homes, and while these atrocities are documented in real-time by human rights organizations and journalists, such as Shireen Abu Akleh, they remain unpunished.
This featured entry for the newly released month of May 2022 focuses on Israel's killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. The Chronology offers thousands of entries relating to Israeli raids in Palestinian villages, towns and cities where Palestinians are arbitrarily arrested, injured, and killed.