Shirin Abu Akle, a reporter for Al Jazeera in Jerusalem, was one of the most prominent Palestinian journalists. Credit … through Agence France-Presse
JERUSALEM – Shirin Abu Aqla originally studied to be an architect, but cannot see a future for herself in this field. So she decided to pursue a career in journalism, becoming one of the most famous Palestinian journalists.
“I chose journalism to be close to the people,” she said in a short tape shared by Al Jazeera shortly after she was killed Wednesday in a West Bank shooting. “It may not be easy to change reality, but at least I managed to convey their voice to the world.
A 51-year-old Palestinian American woman, Abu Akleh, was a well-known figure in the Al Jazeera network, where she spent 25 years reporting on her name amid the violence of the Palestinian uprising, known as the second intifada that struck Israel and the occupied West. beach began in 2000
She was shot in the head in the West Bank city of Jenin, Al Jazeera and the Palestinian Ministry of Health said, blaming Israeli forces for her death. The Israeli military said on Twitter that “Palestinian gunfire” could be responsible.
Mohamed Daragmeh, head of the Ramallah bureau for the Arabic-language news agency Asharq News, who has been friends with Ms. Abu Akle for many years, said she remained committed to covering all issues affecting Palestinians, young and old.
He last spoke to her two days earlier, he said Wednesday, and told her he did not think the events in Jenin were important enough to cover a journalist as old as her.
“But she’s gone,” he said. “She reflected the story the way it should be done.”
It is not the biggest or political stories that interest Ms. Abu Akleh, but the smaller ones that show how people live, said Wesam Hamad, a news producer at Al Jazeera who has worked with her for 17 years. He said she would see a story where others would not.
“Sometimes I would say, ‘No, Sheerin forgot, this is not a big story,'” he said. “But she will always think of so many different angles, how we can do it and how we can make it a very human and very touching story for the Palestinians that no other journalist would have thought to do.
Mrs. Abu Akle was honored as a martyr by women in Hebron on Wednesday. Credit … Hazem Bader / Agence France-Presse – Getty Images
Born in Jerusalem to a Catholic family, Ms. Abu Akleh studied in Jordan with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She spent some time in the United States when she was younger and received American citizenship through a family from her mother, who lived in New Jersey, friends and colleagues said.
Al Jazeera said that after graduating from college, she worked for several media outlets, including Voice of Palestine radio and the Amman satellite channel, before joining Al Jazeera in 1997. She soon became a well-known name among Palestinians and the Arabs in the Middle East, inspiring many to follow in her footsteps.
Her live TV reports and confessions have become iconic for those who want to emulate her, said Dalia Hatuka, a Palestinian American journalist and friend of Ms. Abu Akle.
“I know of a lot of girls who grew up basically standing in front of a mirror and holding their hairbrushes and pretending to be Shirin,” Ms. Hatuka said. “That’s how enduring and important her presence was.”
Among them was her 27-year-old niece, Lina Abu Akleh. As a young girl, she took her aunt’s written reports and recited them on her pink Barbie phone.
“I always told her, ‘I don’t know if I have the courage and strength you have,’ and she said it wasn’t easy, it’s a very difficult job,” Lina Abu Akle said.
Her death also illustrates the dangers Palestinian journalists face as they do their jobs, whether in the occupied West Bank, Gaza or Israel, she said.
In a 2017 interview with NBC’s Palestinian television channel An-Najah, she was asked if she had ever feared being shot.
“Of course I’m scared,” she said. “At some point you forget that fear. We do not throw ourselves to death. We go and try to find where we can stand and how to defend the team with me before I think about how I will get on the screen and what I will say. “
Palestinian Authority Ambassador to Britain Husam Zomlott called her “the most prominent Palestinian journalist”.
Women light candles in memory of Mrs. Abu Akle in Bethlehem on Wednesday. Credit … Hazem Bader / Agence France-Presse – Getty Images
The Abu Akle family became widely known in Palestinian society because of Ms. Abu Akle.
“Everyone knows who Shirin is,” said her cousin Fadi Abu Akle. Whenever I introduce myself, people ask me, “How is Shiren related to you?”
She lived in Ramallah, the West Bank and Jerusalem. She lived in Jerusalem with her brother and his family, including two nieces and a nephew to whom she was very devoted, her cousin said.
“She was my best friend, my stepmother, my travel companion,” said Lina Abu Akle. “She was my everything.”
Their last trip together was to New York to spend the Christmas holidays with relatives in the United States.
Ms. Abu Akle recently spent several weeks in the United States, returning to Ramallah about a month ago. But she never seemed to think seriously about living in the United States, Mr Daragme said.
Al Jazeera once sent her to the United States to work. Three months later, she returned to Ramallah.
When she returned, she said, “I can breathe now. Everything in the United States is technical and complex, “Mr. Daragme recalled. “Life is simple here. I love Palestine. I want to stay here.”
A state funeral procession will be held Thursday in the West Bank city of Ramallah, departing from the presidential headquarters and in the presence of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to the president’s office.
She will be buried in Jerusalem on Friday in the cemetery next to her mother.
“Shirin was an innovator,” Ms. Hatuka said. “I’m just sad that she won’t be around to continue leading the industry.”
Raja Abdulrahim reports from Jerusalem and Ben Hubbard from Doha, Qatar. Did Yazbek contribute to a report from Nazareth, Israel. Kitty Bennett contributed to the research.
– Raja Abdulrahim and Ben Hubbard
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