Israeli forces beat mourners carrying Shireen Abu Akleh’s body ahead the funeral of the veteran journalist that thousands of Palestinians attended in occupied East Jerusalem.
Shocking footage shows the Israeli army attacking the crowd, including the pallbearers, who were forced to nearly drop Abu Akleh’s coffin.
The Al Jazeera journalist was fatally shot by Israeli forces earlier in the week at the Jenin refugee camp.
Thousands of mourners attended the state funeral before her burial at the Mount Zion Protestant Cemetery alongside her late parents on Friday.
Palestinians paid their respects as Abu Akleh’s body was carried from Jenin, where she was killed, through Nablus and Ramallah to Jerusalem.
Al Jazeera journalist Stefanie Dekker told the broadcaster that Abu Akleh’s funeral is “highlighting the occupation.”
Dekker pointed out that police entered Abu Akleh’s home on the day she was killed to remove Palestinian flags and ordered her family to turn off patriotic music. Her brother was then told to stop mourners from carrying Palestinian flags or shout Palestinian chants.
“No showing of Palestinian unity, no showing of Palestinian identity,” Dekker said. “I think this is what it’s really about.”
According to Al Jazeera, several people were arrested for raising Palestinian flags during the funeral procession, while a flag on her coffin was also hauled off by Israeli police.
Earlier in the week, Islam Channel joined mourners who gathered for a vigil outside the BBC’s New Broadcast House to pay tribute to the Palestinian journalist.
