TEHRAN-Amir Kabir Publishers, based in Tehran, has released the book “I Am Shireen Abu Akleh” compiled and translated by Shahriar Shafiei.

The book is a compilation of articles, narratives, and news about the life, career, and martyrdom of this prominent Palestinian journalist and war reporter from Al Jazeera, drawing on credible sources such as the Institute for Palestine Studies, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Al Jazeera.

In addition to portraying a brave journalist, the book elucidates the human and social aspects of her work and delves into the details of her martyrdom and the related events.

Shireen Abu Akleh (1971-2022) was a prominent Palestinian-American journalist who worked as a reporter for 25 years for Al Jazeera before she was killed by Israeli forces while wearing a blue press vest and covering a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. 

Abu Akleh was one of the most prominent names across West Asia for her decades of reporting in the Palestinian territories, and seen as a role model for many Arab and Palestinian women. She is considered to be an icon of Palestinian journalism.

In 1997, Abu Akleh joined Al Jazeera, an Arabic-language cable television news network that had been founded one year earlier by the Qatari emir. As a field correspondent, she provided an international audience with insight directly from inside the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She rose to prominence with the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, as Palestinians and Arabs worldwide gathered around their television sets for the latest updates on the violence. 

Abu Akleh’s residency in Jerusalem, moreover, gave her the ability to report to the Arab world from within Israel, including during the Lebanon War in 2006. Although she often reported in tense and dangerous situations, she remained composed, collected, and focused on explaining the situation around her in a calm and articulate manner.

Apart from her work for Al Jazeera, Abu Akleh helped train students in journalism in the West Bank. She worked at Birzeit University’s Media Development Center near Ramallah and taught media courses at the university. But she also remained cognizant that even established journalists must keep up with the ever-transforming landscape of their field: in 2020 she completed a program in digital journalism at the university.

Upon her death on May 11, 2022, Israel denied responsibility and blamed Palestinian militants. However, it gradually changed its narrative until admitting she was likely “accidentally” killed by Israeli fire, but refused to undertake a criminal investigation. The admission came after several independent investigations were conducted by international media outlets, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United States Department of State. 

Forensic Architecture refuted Israel's findings on September 20 and said Abu Akleh was deliberately targeted and denied medical aid after she was shot. In November 2022, the United States Department of Justice opened a separate investigation into the killing, in a move that Israel condemned and refused to cooperate with. Her niece Lina Abu Akleh has since been demanding that the Israeli forces responsible for her death be held accountable.

The manner of her death and the subsequent violent disruption of her funeral drew widespread international condemnation of Israel. During her funeral procession, the Israel Police attacked the pallbearers at the Saint Joseph's Hospital in East Jerusalem with batons and stun grenades. The hospital itself was also stormed by Israeli police officers, who assaulted patients and threw stun grenades, wounding and causing burns to medical staff in the building. The facility issued a statement from the Christian Churches of the Holy Land, stating that the Israel Police's actions constituted “invasion and disproportionate use of force” and a violation of the “right of freedom of religion” for the Palestinians. 

Abu Akleh's funeral was attended by tens of thousands of people carrying Palestinian flags and chanting nationalist songs; it is believed to have been the largest Palestinian funeral in Jerusalem in over 20 years. On October 26, 2023, the Israeli military bulldozed a memorial that had been erected at the site where Abu Akleh was killed.

Photo: Cover of the book “I Am Shireen Abu Akleh”

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