Palestinians call on Al Jazeera to stop hosting Israelis after Abu Akleh killing

Several Al Jazeera journalists have backed the call to boycott Israelis on the platform following the killing of veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

15 May, 2022

Protests have erupted across the world asking for justice for Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran al-Jazeera journalist shot by Israeli troops while she was in the field reporting. [Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty]

Hundreds of Palestinians, including journalists and intellectuals, have signed a petition calling on Al Jazeera to stop hosting Israeli officials on the channel after veteran correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli troops.

"We appeal to the administration of Al Jazeera to stop hosting representatives of the criminal, racist, colonial Zionist entity who assassinated Shireen as part of an attempts to silence the voice of truth," read the petition, published on Wednesday by the Palestine Forum - a Palestinian online platform hosting contributions from intellectuals across the Palestinian territories and the diaspora.

The letter was supported by several journalists working for Al Jazeera, including Ahmad Mansour (Egypt), Khadija Benguenna (Algeria) and Ghada Oueiss (Lebanon).

"And I add my voice today. There is no point in interviewing a lying criminal," Oueiss wrote on Twitter after sharing the call to boycott.

وأنا أضمّ صوتي إليهم.لا طائل من مقابلة مجرم كاذب وعلينا الاستماع لمطلب أصحاب القضية وأولياء الدم.حقهم علينا.https://t.co/oLbi0Ipaee
— Ghada Oueiss غادة عويس (@ghadaoueiss) May 14, 2022

Abu Akleh, a US-Palestinian dual national, had been reporting for Al Jazeera on an Israeli security raid in Jenin city while wearing a jacket that clearly identified her as 'press', when she was shot by an Israeli sniper.

She was laid to rest in Jerusalem on Friday amid brutal Israeli police violence at her funeral. The police attacked her funeral procession in occupied East Jerusalem, assaulted mourners and fired teargas and rubber-coated bullets, injuring at least fourteen people.