Journalist Shot and Killed by Israeli Sniper

[Helidan]

Al Jazeera's Coverage
BBC's Coverage

Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist was shot and killed this Wednesday by an Israeli sniper while covering and Israeli raid in the West Bank. Not only was she wearing a flak jacket with the words "PRESS" clearly visible, Israeli forces apparently opened fire without warning, with a bullet stricking Akleh in the head. She was rushed to a hospital but sadly died due to her injuries.

From the BBC:

A statement from Al Jazeera said: "In a blatant murder, violating international laws and norms, the Israeli Occupation Forces assassinated in cold blood Al Jazeera's correspondent in Palestine, Shireen Abu Aqla, targeting her with live fire early this morning... while conducting her journalistic duty."

The network called on the international community to hold the Israeli government and military accountable for the "intentional targeting and killing" of a journalist.

Qatar - which funds Al Jazeera - said it considered the killing a "heinous crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a blatant infringement on freedom of media and expression".

The Israeli government, however, has claimed that Akleh was shot and killed by Palestinians, which is contested by the Israeli human right's group B'Tselem said that the gunfire coming from the Palestinians could not have possibly hit Akleh.

So NSG, what's your take on this? Was this a tragic accident, or a direct attack against the freedom of the media by Israel? Personally, while I doubt the Israelis went into this clusterfuck with the direct intention to kill Ms. Akleh, I am almost certain she was shot deliberatley by the undisciplined forces sent to raid the West Bank once they saw someone who looked Palestinian.

[Bendicion]

How exactly did her death occur? Was she supposedly shot intentionally? Or was this a cause of her being caught in a crossfire or maybe a stray bullet? Yeah, headshot might seem like it was a deliberate shooting but still, I wonder how exactly she got shot.

[Gravlen]

Israeli forces beat mourners carrying Abu Akleh's coffin

Live footage from Al Jazeera showed Israeli security forces hitting the crowd with batons as they tried to carry the casket out of a hospital and towards a church in the Old City for the funeral. At one point the casket nearly fell to the ground amid the chaos.

This does not leave the Israeli forces looking good... But alas, it's not like this will change anything.

[Ifreann]

Her funeral has been going on today. There's video of Israeli security forces attacking the funeral procession, beating the pall bearers and other mourners with batons, and reports that they're trying to keep Muslims away from the funeral. Absolutely appalling behaviour.

[Helidan]

How exactly did her death occur? Was she supposedly shot intentionally? Or was this a cause of her being caught in a crossfire or maybe a stray bullet? Yeah, headshot might seem like it was a deliberate shooting but still, I wonder how exactly she got shot.

From what I've read it seems she was shot in the head, and like I said in the OP I believe that she was deliberately shot by the Israeli forces. It could've been accidental, of course, but then the ISDF would simply be guilty of malicious negligence instead of deliberate murder, which is not much better.

[Michel Meilleur]

It'd almost be funny if it wasn't so sad how this conflict has reached the point where either side can commit whatever amount of war crimes they want knowing full well that "their side" will purposefully do their best to ignore it.

[Northern Socialist Council Republics]

Remind me why we’re still friendly with this religiously devout apartheid state?

Seriously, between the Saudis and the Israelis it’s like middle eastern states with terrible human rights records are irresistible catnip for our statesmen for whatever reason.

[Ifreann]

Remind me why we’re still friendly with this religiously devout apartheid state?

Seriously, between the Saudis and the Israelis it’s like middle eastern states with terrible human rights records are irresistible catnip for our statesmen for whatever reason.

Something to do with democracy, I'm told.

[Thai Sweet Billy]

The fact we're still pally with what otherwise amounts to little more than a modernized apartheid giga-fed state that speedruns war crimes and does shit like this almost on the daily is just shocking to me.

What happened there is just clear and present murder. Getting coincidentally shot in the head while wearing a "PRESS" jacket is just too obvious.

[Page]

Maybe the sniper's defense in court should be that he was trying to shoot Netanyahu but missed really badly.

JK, no one is going to be charged. But the Palestinians who got sprayed with her blood will probably go to jail for EWA (existing while Arab).

[The Holy Therns]

Remind me why we’re still friendly with this religiously devout apartheid state?

Seriously, between the Saudis and the Israelis it’s like middle eastern states with terrible human rights records are irresistible catnip for our statesmen for whatever reason.

Because otherwise we are every nazi, at the same time.

[Chan Island]

A disgusting murder. And really appalling how the mourners at her funeral were attacked too. Couldn't even let her rest in peace.

[Ifreann]

A disgusting murder. And really appalling how the mourners at her funeral were attacked too. Couldn't even let her rest in peace.

Of course not. The funeral of a woman murdered by the state is necessarily a protest against the state.

[Czardas]

How exactly did her death occur? Was she supposedly shot intentionally? Or was this a cause of her being caught in a crossfire or maybe a stray bullet? Yeah, headshot might seem like it was a deliberate shooting but still, I wonder how exactly she got shot.

Israeli policy generally has a chain of command for all individual targeting decisions—every shot fired by an Israeli soldier has to be on an approved target and sometimes in an approved area of the body. (Thus why so many Palestinian protesters get shot in the legs; this is considered "more humane" than killing them. Apparently the idea of not shooting people in the first place has yet to occur to Israel.) This has been stated in the past by the Israeli Ministry of Defense and in interviews with plenty of individual soldiers, Border Police et al. I've also had this explained to me by family members who've served in the IDF (although not in frontline combat positions); whether they count as a reliable source is anyone's guess. It's a reason one relative cites for not doing officer training, for example; among many other things, she didn't want to be the person having to approve targets.

It is therefore safe to assume that every journalist, medic, teenager, pregnant woman, etc., killed in confrontations with Israeli forces was killed deliberately. Steve Salaita probably explained things best.

[Salus Maior]

Remind me why we’re still friendly with this religiously devout apartheid state?

Seriously, between the Saudis and the Israelis it’s like middle eastern states with terrible human rights records are irresistible catnip for our statesmen for whatever reason.

Israel is pretty secular from what I understand.

What it runs on is Jewish ethnic nationalism.

[Bear Stearns]

holy hit that's cold blooded

[Miternet]

Remind me why we’re still friendly with this religiously devout apartheid state?

Seriously, between the Saudis and the Israelis it’s like middle eastern states with terrible human rights records are irresistible catnip for our statesmen for whatever reason.

Short version: To gain a Pro-US foodhold in the Midddle East.

[Michael McMahon]

shot and killed this Wednesday by an Israeli sniper

A sniper is the most accurate gun there is so if everything written about the incident is correct then it'd be very hard for the Israelis to portray it as accidental, collateral damage. A head-shot requires an upward aim from a kneeling position and so a bullet that was aimed towards another person and missed the target would climb into the sky and shouldn't have hit anyone else. A sniper who fired perpendicularly from a standing position should have a clear view of nearby individuals to avoid civilian deaths. A sniper rifle fired downwards from an elevated position that missed the target and hit someone else behind them would strike at an angle through the lower body rather than straight through the head.

https://www.radicalcentristmichael.com/post/untitled

[Michael McMahon]

I am almost certain she was shot deliberatley by the undisciplined forces sent to raid the West Bank once they saw someone who looked Palestinian.

If Palestinians can get within a stone's throw of Israel then it's more a fault of how the Israelis designed such narrow border checkpoints.

"The DMZ is 250 kilometers (160 mi) long and about 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) wide."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Demilitarized_Zone

"Some of those wounded say they were involved in throwing stones at Israeli soldiers but many say that they were unarmed and not posing any threat to Israeli forces when they were shot.
Israel says it is acting proportionately, stopping border breaches by shooting to maim and not to kill. It holds the rulers of Gaza, Hamas, responsible for the border protests."
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/gaza-s-walking-wounded-israeli-snipers-have-shot-6-392-protesters-in-lower-limbs-this-year-1.800691#:~:text=The%20rallies%20have%20turned%20deadly,according%20to%20the%20Associated%20Press.

[Frisbeeteria]

Collateral damage of civilians can be on a par with mass shootings in terms of casualties. Yet guns are more personal than artillery bombardments. Killing 10 people to kill one terrorist would be like the police shooting up a restaurant causing 10 deaths because there was one terrorist inside. Yet it'd be very unlikely such a terrorist would've killed 10 other people elsewhere to have justified a macabre response from the police.