Shireen Abu Akleh: a journalist who represents the Palestine cause

Exactly one year ago today, Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, was struck down by Israeli forces while working in a profession she had been in for more than two decades.

She had been a journalist for Al Jazeera since 1997. Her career included reporting from the frontlines of the Second Intifada, Israel’s brutal siege of Jenin, and the death of Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat.

Famed for her trailblazing reporting, Abu Akleh quickly became a household name and was known for her iconic sign-off: “Shireen Abu Akleh, Al Jazeera, Filasteen (Palestine)”. One year on, there is still no accountability for her killing and her family continues to seek and demand justice.

Speaking to The New Arab, Palestinian ambassador to the UK Husam Zumlot said he was “haunted” by the lack of accountability for the “targeted assassination” and “murder” of Abu Akleh, whom he regarded as a friend. He also described her as someone who “represents the cause of Palestine”.

🎥: Reem Khabbazy