Journalist's Brother Calls for Justice, World Calls It 'Conflict'
The BBC reports the brother of Shireen Abu Akleh, the Al Jazeera journalist killed in May 2022, says a new report exposes a cover-up. The report, by Forensic Architecture and Al-Haq, meticulously details how Israeli forces apparently targeted Ms. Abu Akleh, despite her clearly marked press vest. This isn't groundbreaking news; multiple investigations, including by the UN and various media outlets,
reached similar conclusions nearly two years ago. The US State Department, for its part, released its own 'investigation' in July 2022, concluding that Ms. Abu Akleh was likely killed by Israeli gunfire but that there was 'no reason to believe' it was intentional—a narrative that conveniently sidesteps accountability, much like Washington's continuous approval of billions in military aid to the
very government carrying out these actions. Meanwhile, the BBC's framing maintains its signature detached neutrality, opting for 'died after she was fired on' rather than 'killed by Israeli forces.' It’s the media's equivalent of watching a house burn down and reporting that 'spontaneous combustion occurred near a structure.' How many new 'reports' will it take before the killing of a journalist
in clear violation of international law is called what it is—an execution—instead of a tragic 'incident' in an 'occupied West Bank' that's treated more like a disputed spa town? The refusal to name the perpetrator or their clear intent, even after overwhelming evidence, speaks volumes about the narratives prioritized.