The US and international reactions are still reacting to the violent acts of violence committed by the Israeli occupation army yesterday against the funeral procession of the martyr journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
The White House expressed its “great alarm” at the violence carried out by the Israeli police during the funeral of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. “We’ve seen all these photos, they are very disturbing,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “We regret the intrusion into what should have been a quiet funeral.”
“We asked to respect the funeral procession and the relatives of the deceased and her family in these sensitive circumstances,” she added, praising the “distinguished journalist” who was killed Wednesday during an Israeli army operation in the occupied West Bank.
State Department spokesman Ned Price called for an immediate investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable. During a press conference, Price renewed the call for an “immediate investigation and full accountability in the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,” pledging to provide any consular support for a thorough investigation into the incident and to hold those responsible accountable.
The US State Department described the killing of colleague Shireen as “an insult to media freedom everywhere.”
For his part, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the United Nations, indicated that these scenes are “extremely shocking”, and the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that she was “deeply saddened by this shocking attack.”
On Wednesday, Representatives in the US Congress observed a minute of silence in memory of Abu Akleh.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “The killing of American journalist Sherine Abu Akleh is a horrific tragedy,” calling for an impartial investigation.
“Congress is committed to defending freedom of expression around the world, and all journalists, especially in conflict zones,” she added.
For her part, US Representative Rashida Tlaib asked, “When will those who stand with Israeli apartheid say, ‘Enough?'”
She pointed out that Abu Akleh was executed “by an Israeli government that receives unconditional funding from the United States of America, and without any accountability. For the Israeli apartheid government, Shirin’s life was not important, and it dehumanized her after death.”
US Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat from the Democratic Party, considered what happened very disturbing, and stressed that no journalist should be killed simply because he is performing his professional duty.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen agreed, stressing that the scenes of the assault on the funeral procession add shock over tragedy. He stressed the need for an immediate investigation of what happened yesterday, with the need to hand over her killer to justice.
Senior US Senator Elizabeth Warren considered the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and the Israeli forces’ attacks on her funeral procession to be very worrying. A free press is the cornerstone of democracy and journalists should not be killed for doing their job. We need a full independent investigation.
Also, a member of the US House of Representatives for the Congressional district, Andre Karsen, indicated that the United States should hold the Israeli government responsible for what happened.
Hundreds of Palestinians participated in the funeral of Abu Akleh, after she was killed by the Israeli army with a bullet to the head three days ago, while covering an Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank. Abu Akleh was wearing a jacket and helmet bearing the official press crest.
