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Israeli police officers on Friday assaulted mourners at the funeral procession of a prominent Palestinian American journalist killed this week in the occupied West Bank, forcing pallbearers to nearly drop the coffin.

Video showed police officers in Jerusalem beating and kicking pallbearers carrying the coffin that contained the body of the journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, striking other mourners with batons, and forcing one man to the ground. During the commotion, the pallbearers were pushed backward, causing them to briefly lose control of one end of the coffin.

The incident happened outside a hospital in East Jerusalem, where mourners had gathered to take the coffin of Ms. Abu Akleh, who was a Christian, to a nearby church for her funeral.

It was one of several spasms of tension during a fraught afternoon, as riot police in several locations in East Jerusalem faced off against crowds of mourners waving Palestinian flags and chanting Palestinian slogans. Israel considers East Jerusalem part of its capital, but it is predominantly populated by Palestinians, and much of the international community considers it occupied territory.

The incident at the funeral procession lasted for roughly a minute, and followed a tense standoff between riot police and mourners in which at least one empty plastic bottle was thrown in the direction of the police.

The police then suddenly advanced on the coffin, swinging batons and aiming kicks at the mourners. As the police advanced, mourners threw projectiles, including what appeared to be a stick, and officers threw what appeared to be stun and smoke grenades.

In a statement, the Israeli police said they “took enforcement action” after some mourners began chanting “nationalist incitement” and after officers had given the crowd a warning. As the coffin was carried out of the hospital, police said, they were “forced to act” because “rioters began throwing stones toward the policemen.”

The police later distributed video showing an empty plastic bottle and two other bottle-shaped objects being thrown in the direction of the officers in the moments before they advanced on the pallbearers, and separate undated video showing several stones on the ground. There was no clear indication of when or how the stones had reached that spot.

Ms. Abu Akleh was shot dead on Wednesday morning in the occupied West Bank during an Israeli raid on the city of Jenin. Witnesses said she was killed by an Israeli soldier.

The Israeli Army said on Friday that while it was possible Ms. Abu Akleh was mistakenly killed by Israeli fire, its initial investigation suggested that she might also have been hit by a Palestinian gunman.

On Thursday, Israeli police warned Ms. Abu Akleh’s family about displaying “flags and slogans” at the funeral, said Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian member of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament.

At one point during the funeral a man holding up a wreath stood between the pallbearers and police. Later, as the black hearse carrying her coffin began to slowly make its way through the crowd, an Israeli police officer ripped three Palestinian flags off the vehicle and threw them to the ground, video showed.

Church bells throughout the Old City rang out as mourners chanted, “With our souls, with our blood, we sacrifice for you, Shireen.”

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the Israeli public security minister, Omer Bar Lev, who oversees the police.

The funeral was attended by thousands of people and came a day after a state memorial service was held in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Mourners stood in the courtyard of the Palestinian Authority’s presidential headquarters to eulogize and bid farewell to a person considered by many Palestinians to be a trailblazing journalist.

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, awarded her the Star of Jerusalem, also known as the Quds Star. One of the highest honors the Palestinian president can bestow, it is traditionally awarded to ministers, ambassadors and members of Parliament. Mr. Abbas described Ms. Abu Akleh as a “martyr for truth and for the free word.”

She was later taken to be buried in Mount Zion Protestant Cemetery, next to her parents.


Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Please push this to front page



https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/05/13/world/shireen-abu-akleh-funeral-israel.amp.html&ved=2ahUKEwiB5Jbkk933AhWSxYUKHcB3B28Q0PADKAB6BAgDEAE&usg=AOvVaw0kXnEVniai7FvMxsbPwKL8

This is unacceptable, as we continue to mourn ms Deborah, we should also remember this journalist

This US senator has condemned the attack on her coffin

Reactions from Americans

Lalasticlala

Hypocrites

Nawa ohh

[img]https:///media/5-12-2022/-eSDBL.gif[/img]

One sided news. Israeli police can't just attack or defend without a cause. These pigs won't show us what they did but will be quick to show us their slimy piggy face to cry victim.

Search online, you will keep on seeing Aljazera gathered, Aljazira gathered. We know exactly what they are gathering.

You all will die pigs. You guys are fighting to take away freedom from the world, you will never succeed. Just imagine everywhere being like Northern zoo. Tufiakwa

Righteousness2:
Very Fake news.

I Personally have on telegram, a very Clear video of events at the burial of the Journalist.

Rioters hiding near and under the coffin of the Al Jazeera reported after throwing stones and other objects at Israel Police officers in Jerusalem.

of course, you will surely find a way to justify this devilish act by the Israeli forces.

Even Americans are condemning it, and don't forget that she was a Christian

What's more important now, is the killing of Deborah. Leave Israeli news for Israel.

When two soldiers were allegedly killed in the East, a lot of people keeping quiet now and supporting the killing of Deborah were bouncing from thread to thread, condemning Igbos. If you are one of such people, may thvnder fire you, hyp0crite.

Righteousness2:
Very Fake news.

I Personally have on telegram, a very Clear video of events at the burial of the Journalist.

Rioters hiding near and under the coffin of the Al Jazeera reported after throwing stones and other objects at Israel Police officers in Jerusalem.

shame on you, a fanatical bigot, after all Shireen was a xtain who believe in Jesus and her murderers called Jesus an imposter and still here you are defending them, what a confuse fellow

No good Christian should defend this please, I'm begging you guys to stop it,

The journalist was even a Christian

Mynd44

Righteousness2:
Your News is Very Fake!
Know this and know Peace !

Are u aware that the killer of the Journalist was not the Israelis as put out ?

Are u aware that the PA authorities refused to summit the bullet extracted from the Journalist body for Examnation and investigation?

Are u aware that PA authorities refused an investigation into who killed her?

Get down to what is on Ground and Stop posting Nonsense beer palor news.

stop sounding like an extremist, I'm 100% Christian too but what is bad is bad and it should be condemned

God1000:
This is unacceptable, as we continue to mourn ms Deborah, we should also remember this journalist

These Islamic Palestine are only hiding under canopy of unfortunate incident to score points. Every Friday, Islamic Palestine causes trouble or demostrates against Isreal. The journalist that died is a Christian and normal prayers has been done accordingly by priests, these Islamic Palestines are only hiding under this victim to cause their usual Friday trouble; they are trouble makers who no dey tire, when has Muslim started fighting for Christian interest?

You can't find sane christians there since normal burial prayer has been done to her, Palestine Muslims are only using it as guise to spite Isreal, which can't work with Jews. Only christians can tolerate Islamic excesses without retaliating not Jews, Hindus or Buddhism. So, OP, look for another lie

Very outrageous what would be the reason for that

God1000:
This is unacceptable, as we continue to mourn ms Deborah, we should also remember this journalist

watin consign us na for naija him die

I'm a Christian, but no doubt this is unacceptable if true. Like the US senator said, an Investogation should be carried out to get to the end of the matter

Northernblood5:
One sided news. Israeli police can't just attack or defend without a cause. These pigs won't show us what they did but will be quick to show us their slimy piggy face to cry victim.

Search online, you will keep on seeing Aljazera gathered, Aljazira gathered. We know exactly what they are gathering.

You all will die pigs. You guys are fighting to take away freedom from the world, you will never succeed. Just imagine everywhere being like Northern zoo. Tufiakwa

I hope you know it was a Christian funeral and the slain Journalist was a Christian.
Does your brainwashed head know this?

MangekyoAlt:
I'm a Christian, but no doubt this is unacceptable if true. Like the US senator said, an Investogation should be carried out to get to the end of the matter

some Christians are defending this nonsense all in the name of religion, it seems they've forgotten that the journalist was a Christian as well

SweetVibe:
I hope you know it was a Christian funeral and the slain Journalist was a Christian.
Does your brainwashed head know this?

don't mind that guy, they don't reason with their brains.

God1000:
don't mind that guy, they don't reason with their brains.

I think Lazarus Muoka is a brain surgeon.
Expert in formatting brain cells.