[News] Israeli forces assault mourners carrying Shireen Abu Akleh's casket at funeral

[Anti-Imperialist News]

middleeasteye.net
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/shireen-abu-akleh-funeral-israel-forces-assault-mourners>
Israeli forces assault mourners carrying Shireen Abu Akleh's casket at
funeral
By Lubna Masarwa , Latifeh Abdellatif , Huthifa Fayyad , Nadda Osman in
Jerusalem - 13 May 2022
------------------------------
[image: image.png]

Israeli <https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel> forces fired stun
grenades and assaulted mourners carrying the coffin of slain journalist Shireen
Abu Akleh <https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/shireen-abu-akleh-killing>
outside a Jerusalem hospital on Friday, ahead of her funeral service and
burial in the Old City.

Palestinian <https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine> mourners
insisted on carrying Abu Akleh’s coffin on their shoulders from the St
Joseph French Hospital to the Roman Catholic church in the Old City, before
taking her to her final place of rest, the Mount Zion cemetery.

Before they could leave the hospital premises, Israeli forces attacked
them, pushing them back, storming the yard and making arrests.

An Al Jazeera livestream captured the moment mourners nearly dropped Abu
Akleh’s coffin as Israeli forces beat them.

Givera al-Budeiri, a long-time colleague and close friend of Abu Akleh,
described the heavy-handed crackdown on mourners gathered outside the
hospital live on air as it unfolded.

“Occupation forces are storming the hospital, they are now firing bullets,
we are talking about a hospital here, not an area of conflict,” she said,
distressed and holding back tears.

"Even in her death, Shireen has exposed the actions of occupation forces,"
another Al Jazeera journalist said.

Moments later, Israeli officers forced mourners to place the coffin inside
a car and only allowed it to leave the hospital if unaccompanied. People in
the hospital who wanted to join the procession were prevented from doing so.

When the casket finally arrived at the Roman Catholic church, more
supporters were waiting to attend Abu Akleh's funeral service.
'Fitting tribute'

Thousands of Muslim and Christian Palestinians from Jerusalem and the
Palestinian community in Israel, including Haifa and Nazareth, came to pay
their respects to the veteran journalist at the Old City church on Friday.

“A nation united, raise your hands and raise your voices,” Palestinians
chanted ahead of the service. "Muslims and Christians, raise your voice in
union."

Many of Abu Akleh’s colleagues and fellow journalists were also at the
funeral.

The renowned journalist was known and highly regarded by viewers across the
Arab world, particularly in Palestine, where her death has resonated with
people from across the political and social spectrum.

[image: Palestinian mourners wave national flags as they carry the casket
of Abu Aklel inside a church before her burial in Jerusalem. (AFP)]
Palestinian mourners wave national flags as they carry the casket of Abu
Aklel inside a church before her burial in Jerusalem. (AFP)

Her killing, the attacks on other journalists and the crackdown on her
funeral procession have brought Palestinians together in what has been
described as a rare moment of national unity. Across the Old City of
Jerusalem, church services have been dedicated to Abu Akleh, with
Palestinian flags flying.
"I'm watching these scenes of Shireen's funeral and it's both a celebration
of her life and also a great deal of anger at the way she was killed,"
Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu told Middle East Eye.

[image: image.gif]"Shireen touched every single Palestinian house. Every
Arab house. She brought Palestine to the Arab world and through her the
world understood what it means to be a Palestinian," Buttu added.

“Seeing these thousands of people is such a fitting tribute for Shireen;
she was really the person who did her best to make sure that our stories
were heard and I can’t tell you how proud I am to say that she was my
friend.”

[image: A woman reacts during the funeral of of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen
Abu Akleh on 13 May 2022. (Reuters)]
A woman reacts during the funeral of of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu
Akleh on 13 May 2022. (Reuters)

Following the funeral service, large crowds carried Abu Akleh's coffin 300
metres from the church to Mount Zion Cemetery, with heavily-armed officers
stationed across the Old City.

Israeli special forces gathered outside the church, arresting and
assaulting several people who waved the Palestinian flag.

Still, thousands of Palestinians determined to give Abu Akleh a fitting
farewell marched along the narrow road leading to the cemetery.

A cross of flowers, carried in front of the coffin by Muslim and Christian
crowds, finally arrived in the graveyard.

There, in an extraordinary moment, representatives from the Christian
denominations in Jerusalem rang church bells in tandem, a gesture of unity
seldem seen in the city's history.

Draped in a Palestinian flag, which Israeli authorities had banned
supporters from carrying, the coffin of Abu Akleh was finally placed in the
ground in a plot alongside her parents.
Israeli restrictions ahead of the funeral

Ahead of the funeral, Israeli forces had imposed a number of restrictions
that Palestinians saw as an attempt to disrupt the service and limit the
number of people attending.

They banned Palestinian flags at the funeral and imposed a ban on posters
and the chanting of nationalist songs.

Abu Akleh’s brother was called in for questioning on Thursday night, in a
move many denounced as an effort to pressure the family and disrupt
Friday's proceedings.

According to local sources, Israeli forces stormed Abu Akleh's home on
Thursday, attempting to tear down a Palestinian flag that was erected in
her honour.

Since her killing, Israeli forces have maintained a heavy police presence
in Jerusalem. Despite the restrictions and intense crackdown, thousands of
Palestinians vowed to gather for the funeral service and walk alongside her
coffin until her burial.

*This is a developing story…*
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