Israel imposes apartheid over Palestine: Media figure

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The shooting of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin, the West Bank of the Palestinian territories on May 11, 2022, which is strongly suspected by the Israeli army again proves that the Zionist is imposing the apartheid policy, according to the Head of Foreign Affairs of the Indonesian Cyber ​​Media Union, Aat Surya Safaat.

“I even agree with the Director of the Amnesty International Office in Jerusalem who stated that the shooting of the Palestinian journalist really proves that not only did Israel enforce the apartheid policy, but also racism against Palestinians,” he said here on Monday (May 16).

Aat made this statement in the ‘Webinar MINA Talks’ special edition of the 74th Palestinian Nakba Day under the theme ‘The role of journalists in conflict areas: Track records of Israeli crimes against the press’.

The webinar also featured speakers from the Amnesty International’s Jerusalem Office Director Saleh Hijazi and Mina News Agency Correspondent in Palestine Mohammad Shaaban who replaced Shadah Hanasiyah, a Palestinian journalist who witnessed the shooting of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Shadah was unable to attend the webinar because he was prevented and even persecuted by the Israeli army when he was about to appear at the webinar which was held to commemorate the 74th Palestinian Nakba Day.

Usually celebrated on May 15, the Palestinian Nakba Day is the first day of expulsion of Palestinians by Israel.

Aat further stated that the United States and European countries apply a double standard policy, giving an example that western countries immediately imposed sanctions against Russia as it is attacking Ukraine, but they did not do any defense to the Palestinian people who continue to experience atrocities of the Israeli army.

Regarding the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, Aat asked the Amnesty International to immediately report the murder case to the International Criminal Court so that the perpetrators are given appropriate punishment in order that similar cases would not recur to journalists who should be protected even on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Director of Amnesty International’s Jerusalem office, Saleh Hijazi, stated that the murder of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who is a Palestinian-American descendant, proves that not only did Zionist Israel implement the apartheid policy, but was also racist towards Palestinians.

Apartheid is a politics applied to differentiate the treatment of race and ethnicity, and in this case distinguish Palestinians from Israelis, with the latter having special rights over Palestinians. Apartheid is a crime against humanity as defined in the Rome Statute and the Apartheid Convention.

Violence after violence carried out by the Zionist regime in Palestine to date illustrates Israel’s apartheid system that allows state violence to continue without punishment.

The Amnesty International’s 182-page report published on February 2, 2022, also found incriminating evidence that Israel must be held accountable for its crimes of apartheid against Palestinians.

Saleh Hijazi also said that the shooting of Shireen Abu Akleh added to the long list of journalists who died in the course of reporting wars and as has happened before, the Shireen murder case might also just disappear if no one takes legal actions.

“Therefore we are ready to report it to the International Criminal Court and ask for a thorough investigation into the shooting case,” he said, adding that Shireen had previously reported atrocities by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians.

Shireen was reported to have died of shooting in the face while covering the Israeli army‘s raid on the refugee camp in Jenin on May 11, 2022. The 51-year-old journalist is said to have complied with the procedures for covering the war, namely wearing a bullet-proof vest that reads PRESS and wearing a helmet.

However, all these procedures are meaningless when a bullet pierced Shireen’s face and killed her. Many people think that Shireen’s shooting was not an accident. It’s very possible that she was deliberately aimed as a target, considering that only one bullet hit the exposed part of Shireen’s body, namely her face.

Reporting by Indonesia Window