229 Arab and international human rights organisations and networks have strongly condemned the assassination of the Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, after she was shot dead by an Israeli sniper, who put a bullet into her head.
The fact that Israeli soldiers carried out this murder of the American-Palestinian journalist in front of large numbers of witnesses, proves that they think that because Israel has the support of the UK and US ruling classes, they can murder who they like and get away with it.
The world awaits an open and strong condemnation of this open killing of a journalist by the UK Prime Minister and US President. The silence of these leaders shows that the UK and US ruling classes are backing up Israel’s terrorist murders.
In fact, the UK has already made support for Hamas illegal, and is working on legislation that will make any boycott of Israel illegal. The fact is that keeping the Israeli terrorist state going, and killing, is part and parcel of the US-UK policy for keeping its control of the Middle East and its colossal oil wealth.
Another journalist, Ali Al-Samoudi, was also shot in the back while covering the storming of the Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday morning. The number of Palestinian journalists and media professionals killed by the occupation’s bullets is 83 journalists since the beginning of 1972.
The 229 signatories of the Arab and human rights organisations affirmed that the crime of the occupation murdering of the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was a deliberate and premeditated act and a fully-fledged assassination operation.
‘The martyr Shireen Abu Akleh is a direct victim of organised state terrorism, which behaves with the mentality of criminal gangs,’ the signatories stressed.
This crime came as a result of the systematic incitement against Palestinian journalists by the occupying state, for their professional role in revealing the truth and exposing its war crimes. Meanwhile the capitalist world keeps silent on the crimes of the occupation committed against the Palestinian people.
The 229 signatories stressed that the Israeli occupation forces, by their heinous act, want to obscure the truth and cover up their crimes against the Palestinian people. In addition, the occupation, wants to scare and intimidate journalists to prevent the transmission of the truth to the world.
The signatories called for the opening of a neutral, independent, and transparent international investigation under the supervision of the International Criminal Court to expose and punish the criminals and the criminal regime that targeted journalist Abu Akleh.
They further stressed the need to launch an international campaign by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the International Federation of Journalists, international non-governmental organisations, and Palestinian human rights institutions, to hold Israeli war criminals accountable, prevent impunity for perpetrators, and bring a legal human rights case regarding this crime before the International Criminal Court, to prosecute Israeli leaders and politicians who publicly incite the killing of Palestinian civilians, including journalists.
They are calling on the United Nations and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to provide the necessary protection for journalists and media crews working in the occupied territories.
However this is not enough.
The UK, the US and the EU trade unions must intervene and impose a worldwide boycott of Israel and all Israeli goods, and must refuse to transport weaponry to the Israeli terrorist state.
Last year, after massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London, TUC leaders said publicly that there should be general strike action in the UK to aid the Palestinian people. Since then, despite all of the Israeli atrocities, there has been no general strike action.
The US and UK trade unions must take action and refuse to accept Israeli trade and refuse to transport all arms and ammunitions to Israel. The unions must collect millions of pounds and dollars so that the Palestinians can arm and equip their own extensive ground forces to confront and drive out the the Israel settlers.
They must also demand that US and UK ambassadors are brought back from Israel, and that the US and UK recognise the State of Palestine.
The US and UK working class has enormous power and they must now use it to defend the Palestinian people and establish the state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. This is the only way forward!
