SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Shireen Abu Akleh stands near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. (Photo: Al Jazeera Media Network)
How the US Will Ignore Israel's War Crime of Killing Shireen Abu Akleh
The goal is to assuage public anger with empty calls for an investigation, until this latest atrocity fades from the news cycle.
May 13, 2022
On Thursday, I appeared on Al Jazeera English to talk about the killing of the network's iconic correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.
Despite its quickly debunked attempts to cast blame elsewhere, the evidence overwhelmingly points to Israel being responsible.
Yet Israel does not bear responsibility alone. As I told Al Jazeera, the governments now shedding crocodile tears for Abu Akleh--especially the United States, European Union countries, the United Kingdom and Canada--also have her blood on their hands.
Watch:
While they are calling for an investigation, this is a ruse aimed ultimately at guaranteeing continued Israeli impunity. They know very well that Israeli attacks on the media are nothing new.
A year ago, Israel directly attacked journalists and media organizations in Gaza. Those crimes are now barely even remembered.
And in April, the International Criminal Court received a complaint alleging war crimes against journalists by Israeli occupation forces.
It cites the "systematic targeting" of four Palestinian media workers who were "killed or maimed by Israeli snipers while covering demonstrations in Gaza," according to the International Federation of Journalists.
On Wednesday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price claimed that "the Israelis have the wherewithal and the capabilities to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation."
One only has to imagine the State Department asserting that Russia is capable of a "comprehensive investigation" of alleged war crimes in Ukraine to understand how thoroughly uninterested the US is in any real accountability for Abu Akleh's killing.
The goal is to assuage public anger with empty calls for an investigation, until this latest atrocity fades from the news cycle.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 ElectronicIntifada.net
Ali Abunimah
Ali Abunimah is the author of "One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse" and "The Battle for Justice in Palestine: The Case for a Single Democratic State in Palestine". Ali is a fellow with the Palestine Center in Washington, DC. Abunimah is Executive Director of The Electronic Intifada.
On Thursday, I appeared on Al Jazeera English to talk about the killing of the network's iconic correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.
Despite its quickly debunked attempts to cast blame elsewhere, the evidence overwhelmingly points to Israel being responsible.
Yet Israel does not bear responsibility alone. As I told Al Jazeera, the governments now shedding crocodile tears for Abu Akleh--especially the United States, European Union countries, the United Kingdom and Canada--also have her blood on their hands.
Watch:
While they are calling for an investigation, this is a ruse aimed ultimately at guaranteeing continued Israeli impunity. They know very well that Israeli attacks on the media are nothing new.
A year ago, Israel directly attacked journalists and media organizations in Gaza. Those crimes are now barely even remembered.
And in April, the International Criminal Court received a complaint alleging war crimes against journalists by Israeli occupation forces.
It cites the "systematic targeting" of four Palestinian media workers who were "killed or maimed by Israeli snipers while covering demonstrations in Gaza," according to the International Federation of Journalists.
On Wednesday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price claimed that "the Israelis have the wherewithal and the capabilities to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation."
One only has to imagine the State Department asserting that Russia is capable of a "comprehensive investigation" of alleged war crimes in Ukraine to understand how thoroughly uninterested the US is in any real accountability for Abu Akleh's killing.
The goal is to assuage public anger with empty calls for an investigation, until this latest atrocity fades from the news cycle.
Ali Abunimah
Ali Abunimah is the author of "One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse" and "The Battle for Justice in Palestine: The Case for a Single Democratic State in Palestine". Ali is a fellow with the Palestine Center in Washington, DC. Abunimah is Executive Director of The Electronic Intifada.
On Thursday, I appeared on Al Jazeera English to talk about the killing of the network's iconic correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.
Despite its quickly debunked attempts to cast blame elsewhere, the evidence overwhelmingly points to Israel being responsible.
Yet Israel does not bear responsibility alone. As I told Al Jazeera, the governments now shedding crocodile tears for Abu Akleh--especially the United States, European Union countries, the United Kingdom and Canada--also have her blood on their hands.
Watch:
While they are calling for an investigation, this is a ruse aimed ultimately at guaranteeing continued Israeli impunity. They know very well that Israeli attacks on the media are nothing new.
A year ago, Israel directly attacked journalists and media organizations in Gaza. Those crimes are now barely even remembered.
And in April, the International Criminal Court received a complaint alleging war crimes against journalists by Israeli occupation forces.
It cites the "systematic targeting" of four Palestinian media workers who were "killed or maimed by Israeli snipers while covering demonstrations in Gaza," according to the International Federation of Journalists.
On Wednesday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price claimed that "the Israelis have the wherewithal and the capabilities to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation."
One only has to imagine the State Department asserting that Russia is capable of a "comprehensive investigation" of alleged war crimes in Ukraine to understand how thoroughly uninterested the US is in any real accountability for Abu Akleh's killing.
The goal is to assuage public anger with empty calls for an investigation, until this latest atrocity fades from the news cycle.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.