Recently published by the Institute for Palestinian Studies, the book "The Martyrdom of Sherine Abu Aqleh..a documentary record", presented and edited by Khaled Farraj, and prepared by Randa Haider, Sana Hamoudi, Lamis Reda and Hala Zain Al-Abidin.
This record is an attempt to document the circumstances of the martyrdom of Shireen Abu Aqleh in honor of her and to commemorate her memory. The book records the period before the assassination;
From the widespread Israeli escalation in all areas of the West Bank, to the major escalation and incitement carried out by Israel in Jenin camp during that period, and the Palestinian operations in many areas in the West Bank and in Israeli cities.
It also monitors the moment of the assassination and the international, regional, Arab and Palestinian reactions that followed, presents the confused Israeli narrative from the first moment, and documents the brutal attack on Shireen's funeral, and the ensuing angry reactions.
Assassination of the Palestinian press
In the introduction to the book, the Director-General of the Institute for Palestine Studies, Khaled Farraj, wrote that 50 years ago, on the morning of July 8, 1972, the Palestinian journalist, writer and writer Ghassan Kanafani and his niece Lamis Najm were martyred by a car bomb explosion in the Hazmieh area on the outskirts of Beirut, although Israel Many assassinations have been carried out against Palestinians before. Kanafani's assassination had a special symbolism represented in targeting the word, the truth, and the entire profession of committed and honest journalism.
Half a century later, on the morning of May 11, 2022, the occupation forces assassinated the Jerusalemite journalist Shereen Abu Aqleh on the outskirts of Jenin refugee camp (in the northern West Bank).
Farraj added that only three weeks had passed since the assassination of Abu Aqila, until the occupation forces - on the morning of June 1, 2022 - shot the Palestinian journalist and the liberated captive, Ghufran and Rasna, on the outskirts of Al-Arroub camp (south of the West Bank).
In the afternoon of the same day, these forces attacked the funeral and coffin of the martyr journalist Ghufran and Rasna, as they had previously attacked the funeral, coffin and mourners of the martyr Shireen Abu Aqila in the courtyard of the French Hospital in Jerusalem.
Farraj added that in the case of the assassination of journalist Ghassan Kanafani, journalist Sherine Abu Aqleh, or journalist Ghufran and Rasna, the scene seems familiar;
This occupying machine has persisted in killing, degrading it, and practicing it since it was established, targeting young people, adults, males and females, prisoners, wounded, professors, journalists, doctors, workers, students, and others. , but it is planned and deliberate;
That is, it happened premeditatedly and determinedly.
The media and the funeral of Abu Aqleh
Despite the presence of dozens of press cameras and dozens of correspondents of news agencies and television stations for coverage, the soldiers and police were ordered to crack down without mercy or clemency, and without any regard for the sanctity of the bodies, a behavior that shows show hostility against a defenseless people through the excessive use of their surplus power. The occupation state, according to Farraj.
As for the common denominator between Kanafani, Abu Aqila, and Rasna - according to Faraj's introduction - it is that these three - and other male and female journalists and workers in this field - refute the idea of "the most moral army in the world";
The Israeli army often boasts that it upholds the highest ethical standards, and Israeli and non-Israeli research centers have frequently promoted this argument that is not true on the ground.
Farraj quoted an article titled "The Media.. The Strongest Player in the Gift", which Sherine Abu Aqleh singled out for the "Journal of Palestinian Studies" about 6 years before her assassination, as saying, "There is no evidence for the importance of the media's role that Israel set a number of conditions for handing over the bodies of the martyrs, especially In the Jerusalem area, which is under full Israeli control, among these conditions is limiting the number of participants in the funeral to no more than dozens, and preventing any media presence, which was justified by the occupation authorities by avoiding scenes of farewell to the martyrs as heroes, an image that the media contributed to strengthening.
Farraj says that, paradoxically, the Israeli occupation forces summoned - on May 12, 2022 - Antoine Abu Aqleh to dictate to him its conditions by banning any gathering or media presence, banning the Palestinian flag, and limiting the number of participants in the funeral of his sister Shireen Abu Aqleh.
Thus, Sherine - as Faraj wrote - moved from being an analyst of the behavior and policies of the Israelis in relation to the funerals of martyrs in Jerusalem and the role of the media in this regard, to being the martyr whose conditions the Israeli occupier tried to dictate at her funeral.
The writer says that Shireen Abu Aqleh was assassinated treacherously and aggressively, and with her martyrdom, every Palestinian felt that he had lost dearly to him.
Sherine, who entered every home on Al-Jazeera screens for a quarter of a century of serious, respectable and upscale journalistic work, has become like a member of every Palestinian family, east, west, north and south.
He added, "Every Palestinian felt that her martyrdom touched him personally, and this is what made him feel oppressed and humiliated, as everyone asks how to kill a well-known journalist in the field while wearing what indicates that she is a journalist (helmet, protective jacket and press emblem)? The truth is targeting those who reveal the truth about the daily killing in Palestine.”
The book says, "The funeral of Shireen Abu Aqila has been compared to the funeral of the martyr Abdel Qader al-Husseini in April 1948, the year of the Nakba, and the funeral of the captive martyr Omar al-Qasim, who was martyred in the occupation prisons in June 1989, and the funeral of the martyr Faisal al-Husseini in May 2001." However, what distinguished Abu Aqila’s funeral - in addition to the unprecedented and large public participation in it - was the residents of the 1948 areas and the residents of Jerusalem, while the residents of the West Bank and Gaza were prevented from participating by military laws.
Escalation before the assassination
The book records the period prior to the assassination, from the widespread Israeli escalation in all areas of the West Bank, the successive attacks in Jerusalem, the marches, and the provocative incursions carried out by settlers in the courtyards of the Temple Mount, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, to the major escalation and incitement carried out by Israel In the Jenin refugee camp at that time, Palestinian operations in many areas of the West Bank and in Israeli cities.
The book also monitors the moment of the assassination and the international, regional, Arab and Palestinian reactions that followed, presents the confused Israeli narrative from the first moment, and documents the brutal attack on Shireen's funeral, and the ensuing angry reactions at all levels.
In addition, the book includes statements and positions for international human rights organizations calling for an impartial investigation into the assassination and the funeral attack, in addition to documenting the results of investigations conducted by major media outlets, such as the "Washington Post", "CNN" and "Al Jazeera", as well as an investigation The Israeli police in the funeral attack in Jerusalem, and the results of the American investigation on July 4, 2022.
The book also includes the positions and statements of the family and the Al-Jazeera news channel, where the martyr Sherine Abu Akleh was working, in addition to monitoring the activities and honoring events that were held for the martyr Sherine around the world.
The book also includes a number of appendices that include the late woman’s articles in the “Journal of Palestinian Studies” and the Foundation’s blog, a chronological account of her assassination prepared by Walid Al-Omari, a copy of the Abu Akila family’s letter to US President Joe Biden, a copy of Sherine’s last leave request, and a table of names Martyrs from the beginning of 2022 until the date of Shirin's martyrdom, in addition to a photo appendix.