SHIREEN ABU AKLEH: A SYMBOL OR A VICTIM?

MIDDLE EAST: As the remains of Shireen Abu Akleh – the veteran Aljazeera journalist caught in last Thursday’s crossfire at Jenin- was laid to rest, the world will once more have to deal with rattling altercations between Palestinians who desire to see Israel exterminated, and Israelis engaged in the never-ending duty of protecting itself from extermination threats.

The clash at Jenin refugee camp near Judea and Samaria appears to be caused by a series of Palestinian-led terrorist attacks that rocked major Israeli cities over the last nine weeks, leaving close to two dozen Israelis dead and many others injured.

Since March 22, gun and knife-wielding Palestinians from neighbouring regions, including Jenin, terrorized Tel Aviv; Hadera, Beersheba, Bnei Brak, and other orthodox regions for nine weeks, much to the utter silence of the Palestinian government, pro-Palestinian groups and other globally renowned terrorist apologists.

Judging by the history of attacks and counter-attacks between the two sides, Thursday’s clash was no different. Shireen’s presence stands out as the only difference. An Aljazeera journalist killed in the line of duty is a serious complication for any side, and Shireen’s death, many fear, will present a coffin-load of propaganda for the Palestinian authorities to milk and marinate their blood-thirsty hands in global pity.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, in his funeral oration, already rejected calls for a joint investigation into Shireen’s death, vowing to ride on the wave of unverified sentiments all the way to the International Criminal Court. The western media is awash with one-sided reports framing Israeli forces as the killer based on Aljazeera’s latest in a series of biased anti-Israel reportage.

Israel, however, appears too slow to tell its own side of the story, and it is a worry for many Jews having to deal with misinformed, amplified antisemitic hatred in real-life and on social media.

While there will be no global outcry for the lives of two dozen Israelis lost to Palestinian terror attacks, Shireen’s death—painful as it may appear for Palestinians—is symbolic as a representation of the painful grief many Israeli families who lost loved ones to the hands of indoctrinated terrorists feel over the past two months.

Seeing how many identified Palestinian terrorists live in Israel and enjoy equal access to amenities and opportunities, it is easy to discredit the so-called Palestinian cry of oppression and live with the reality that Palestinians intend to eliminate Israel, and it matters less if they do it with plenty or less.

The International Criminal Court, United Nations, European Union and other world governing bodies must thread the path of uncompromised objectivity and see through the smokescreen of emotional pity Palestine terrorists veil their atrocious acts. Only a proper investigation devoid of such sentiments can unveil the true killers of Shireen Abu Akleh.