Washington DC – In 214 days, Israel killed 142 journalists in Gaza, approximately one every 36 hours. The staggering death toll makes this war the deadliest conflict in modern history for journalists.
But activists say the case of prominent Tel Aviv Tribune journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a US citizen, highlights the fact that Israel was killing journalists with impunity long before the current war.
Saturday marks the second anniversary of her death after she was shot dead by Israeli forces while reporting in the occupied West Bank on May 11, 2022.
The lack of accountability for his killing helped pave the way for widespread Israeli abuses taking place in Gaza, said Yousef Munayyer, head of the Palestine/Israel program at the Arab Center in Washington DC.
“What we saw as Israel killing a record number of journalists in Gaza is directly linked to Shireen’s lack of accountability,” Munayyer told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“If you can kill an American citizen, who was one of the most prominent journalists in the Arab world, on camera and get away with it, that sends a very clear message about what is allowed.”
Wearing a blue vest marked with the word “press,” Abu Akleh was killed while covering an Israeli raid in Jenin, a city in the northern West Bank.
Initially, then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett falsely accused Palestinian fighters of shooting at her – an allegation that was quickly refuted by independent reports.
How the United States redefined responsibility
Immediately after the Abu Akleh shooting, US President Joe Biden’s administration called for accountability, saying “those responsible for Shireen’s murder should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
But Washington changed its position after Israel admitted that its soldiers had killed Abu Akleh and called the incident an accident, refusing to open a criminal investigation.
In September 2022, the United States dropped its demand that the perpetrators be prosecuted.
Accountability, officials say, could instead be ensured by Israel by changing its rules of engagement – a demand that has been openly rejected by Israeli leaders.
Washington has also rejected calls for an independent investigation into the incident, arguing that Israel has functioning institutions capable of investigating the matter.
But Palestinian rights advocates have long argued that Israel rarely prosecutes its own soldiers for abuses and should not be trusted to investigate it itself.
For Munayyer, the Biden administration has paved the way for Israel to allow the killings to take a back seat.
“It really sent a very dangerous message and, I think, contributed to a hunt for Palestinian journalists in Gaza,” Munayyer said.
Even when Tel Aviv Tribune referred the Abu Akleh case to the International Criminal Court for investigation, the United States publicly opposed the court’s involvement, reiterating its position that Israel should take up the matter itself. affair.
The Biden administration also failed to condemn the Israeli attack on Abu Akleh’s funeral in Jerusalem, during which armed agents beat its pallbearers with batons.
Israeli attacks on Tel Aviv Tribune
Without significant accountability for Abu Akleh’s killing, Israeli attacks on press freedom – and on Tel Aviv Tribune in particular – worsened with the outbreak of its war in Gaza.
In January, for example, an Israeli drone targeted an Tel Aviv Tribune crew in Khan Younis, a town in the southern Gaza Strip. Israeli forces then prevented medics from reaching cameraman Samer Abudaqa, who was injured in the strike.
Abudaqa, described by his colleagues as fearless, hardworking and cheerful, eventually bled to death. The network’s Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh, was injured in the same attack.
Israel also killed several members of Dahdouh’s family, including his son Hamza, a journalist who worked for Tel Aviv Tribune.
Earlier this month, Israel – which has blocked foreign journalists from entering Gaza – banned Tel Aviv Tribune from operating and broadcasting within its borders.
The decision sparked an outcry from some American politicians, for whom Abu Akleh’s death was a sign of a trend toward attacks on press freedom.
“Two years ago, Israeli forces assassinated American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, then brutally attacked her funeral,” US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib told Tel Aviv Tribune in an email this week.
“Since then, the Biden administration has failed to hold the Israeli government accountable and let it act with impunity. Today, Israel’s apartheid regime shut down Tel Aviv Tribune’s coverage to prevent the world from seeing its war crimes.
“I will continue to defend press freedom and demand justice for Shireen and all journalists killed by the Israeli government. »
On Friday, Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, called the assassination of Abu Akleh “a chapter in the history of Israel’s relentless attack on Tel Aviv Tribune.” He also denounced the persistent “impunity” for the assassinations of journalists, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza.
“This situation endangers the lives of journalists around the world and the public’s right to free, independent and pluralistic information,” said Jonathan Dagher, head of RSF’s Middle East desk, in a press release.
The Biden administration, meanwhile, expressed “concerns” earlier this month over the Tel Aviv Tribune ban. But Munayyer said toothless criticism is often ignored by Israeli leaders.
“Israelis don’t care about America’s concern. They don’t take these comments seriously,” he said.
“And the only time we saw any change in Israeli behavior – particularly in the last seven months – was when serious consequences were threatened. »
Israel receives at least $3.8 billion in U.S. military aid a year, and Biden last month approved an additional $14 billion in aid to the country despite growing outcry over the war in Gaza, which has killed nearly of 35,000 Palestinians.
“We still don’t have justice”
Abu Akleh’s family has pushed the United States to seek accountability for his death, meeting with lawmakers and officials and speaking out on the issue.
“These last two years seem to have gone by very quickly, but unfortunately, two years later, we still have no justice, we still have no accountability,” said Lina Abu Akleh, the journalist’s niece. assassinated, at an event in Washington, DC, this week.
“The American administration has failed our family, it has failed Shireen, an American citizen and journalist, a woman journalist. »
In late 2022, several news reports indicated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had opened its own investigation into the incident. But the Justice Department, which oversees the office, declined to confirm the existence of such an investigation.
“The last thing we knew was that the FBI opened an investigation just months after Shireen’s murder, but we still don’t know where that investigation is going. We have not received any updates,” said the younger Abu Akleh.
On Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the FBI to be transparent about the alleged investigation.
“It is time to end Israel’s long-standing impunity for the killings of journalists, which have only increased during Israel’s war with Gaza,” said CPJ Program Director, Carlos Martinez de la Serna, in a press release.
“The FBI must disclose a timetable for the conclusion of its investigation, and Israel must cooperate with the FBI investigation and any future ICC investigations. »
Last year, on the first anniversary of Abu Akleh’s assassination, CPJ published a report detailing how Israeli forces killed 20 journalists over the previous two decades, in what it called of “schema”.
“No one has ever been charged or held responsible for these deaths,” the statement said.
This trend towards impunity appears to have intensified with the war against Gaza. But advocates say they will continue to demand justice for Abu Akleh, particularly as the number of Israeli press freedom violations increases.
“We will not forget. And one important reason that we will not forget is that the consequences of these failures to achieve accountability for Shireen’s murder are visible every day in Gaza,” Munayyer said.