Clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli police during the funeral procession for slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on Friday in Jerusalem, causing police to react by rushing the procession. The casket nearly fell over during the resulting melée.
The journalist was killed earlier this week while covering clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian terrorists in the town of Jenin. Israel was conducting a raid to arrest suspects, after weeks of Palestinian terrorism targeting Israeli civilians.
The story was reported in international media outlets such as the UK Guardian, which has a long history of anti-Israel bias, as “Israeli police attack funeral procession for shot journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh.” However, police claimed that some in the procession had attacked them.
The Times of Israel noted that the trigger for the violence may have been the display of the Palestinian flag, which is considered provocative in Israel, particularly in the capital city:
The clashes at Saint Joseph’s Hospital erupted after Palestinians sought to carry Abu Akleh’s coffin on foot, waving several Palestinian flags, to the Old City. Police had designated that the procession would begin at the Jaffa Gate, less than two miles away.
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Officers rushed the crowd, beating mourners in an apparent attempt to force them to take down the Palestinian flags. Police fired stun grenades in an attempt to disperse the crowd, including towards those carrying Abu Akleh’s casket, which almost toppled to the ground.
Police later claimed that mourners near the coffin had thrown rocks and objects at police during “violent riots.”
Palestinians blamed Israel for the journalist’s death, though Israel said it was not clear who fired the shot that killed her, and that Palestinians could have been responsible. Israel asked Palestinian officials to conduct a joint investigation of the death.
As of Friday, as Breitbart News reported, Palestinian leaders had refused to cooperate, and were refusing to hand over the bullet that killed Abu Akleh for forensic analysis. Palestinians have used false accusations of murder in the past, notably in the case of Mohammed Al-Durah, a child who was falsely described as having been killed by Israeli forces in 2000.
The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations issued a press statement on Wednesday accusing Israel of murdering Abu Akleh “in cold blood.” When Breitbart News asked for evidence to substantiate that claim, spokesperson Oussama Jammal declined to answer, but replied via email: “Just listen to how the Israelis are changing their story!!!! This is their TRADEMARK.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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