We are deeply shocked by the killing by the Israeli occupying forces of the highly respected Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, while she was going to report, wearing a press vest, on an Israeli incursion into the occupied city of Jenin last Wednesday. As we mourn her loss, we ask that the perpetrators of this crime and all who authorized it be held accountable.
The attack by heavily armed Israeli forces on the Palestinian funeral procession shocked and horrified us even more. Soldiers beat and kicked attendees and pallbearers on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Hospital in occupied East Jerusalem to prevent them from carrying Abu Akleh’s coffin and marching to the church for the planned funeral.
What are we to make of the brazenness and cruelty of this attack on human dignity?
The murder of Shireen Abu Akleh is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and an attack on journalism and freedom of expression. UN and international human rights experts have said it may constitute a war crime and should be subject to an independent and transparent international investigation. However, what happened is far from being an isolated event. Israeli forces have killed 45 journalists since 2000, injuring many more, simply for doing their jobs. These crimes are part of a pattern of violence, harassment and intimidation against Palestinian journalists that sheds light on what Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Israel’s leading human rights organization B’Tselem have described as a system of apartheid. imposed on the Palestinian people.
For many years, Palestinian human rights and civil society groups have called on the international community to take proportionate and targeted steps to hold Israel accountable for its crimes and end its impunity. We fully support your appeal.
When Israel’s policies blatantly violate international laws and norms, it is because Western powers have always provided diplomatic cover for it to do so. It has not gone unnoticed that while our governments have rushed to impose blanket boycotts and sanctions in response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and its cruel attacks on civilians, the same governments continue to finance and protect the occupation of Israel for decades. and gross human rights violations against Palestinians.
Meanwhile, our governments are taking undemocratic steps to suppress non-violent pressure campaigns by their own citizens aimed at holding Israel and the companies and institutions that are complicit in its system of oppression to account.
We call on our governments to end their hypocrisy and act consistently in the application of international law and human rights. We ask that you take meaningful steps to ensure accountability for the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and all other Palestinian civilians. There must be no double standards when it comes to the basic human right to be free from persecution and oppression and the right to life and dignity.
Signatories:
Khalid Abdullah, actor
Hany Abu Assad, film director
Tunde Adebimpe, musician
Ahsan Akbar, poet
Yasmine Al Massri, actress
Omar Al Qattan, film director
Monica Ali, author
Candace Allen, writer
Pedro Almodóvar, film director
Anthony Anaxagorou, poet
Ramin Bahrani, film director
Adam Bakry, actor
Saleh Bakri, actor
Joslyn Barnes, producer
Roy Battersby, TV director
Sarah Beddington, filmmaker, artist
Ronan Bennett, author, screenwriter
Frances Black, singer
Nicholas Blincoe, author
Iciar Bollain, film director
Juan Diego Botto, actor, playwright
Haim Bresheeth, filmmaker
Victoria Brittain, writer
Adam Broomberg, artist
David Calder, actor
Carmen Callil, editor
Eric Cantona, actor
Iggor Cavalera, musician
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, choreographer
Julie Christie, actress
Isabel Coixet, film director
Steve Coogan, actor, comedian
Mark Cousins, writer, director
Liam Cunningham, actor
William Dalrymple, author
Angela Davis, author
Andy de la Tour, actor
Jeremy Deller, artist
Stephen Dillane, actor
Sara Driver, film director
Ben Ehrenreich, author
Brian Eno, musician
Jodie Evans, producer
Shepard Fairey, artist
Bella Freud, designer
Peter Gabriel, musician
Trevor Griffiths, playwright, screenwriter
Kathryn Hahn, actress
Charles Hayward, musician
M Imhotep, musician
Nicholas Jaar, musician
Gemma Jackson, Production Designer
Jim Jarmusch, film director
Asif Kapadya, director
Aki Kaurismaki, director
John Keane, artist
Brigid Keenan, author
Patrick Keiller, filmmaker
Peter Kennedy, artist
A. L. Kennedy, writer
Jennine Khalik, journalist
Naomi Klein, writer, activist
Peter Kosminsky, screenwriter, director
Jan Kounen, director
Nancy Kricorian, writer
Hari Kunzru, novelist
Seun Kuti, musician
Lankum, band
Paul Laverty, screenwriter
Mike Leigh, film director
Laima Leyton, music, artist
Jim Loach, film director
Ken LoachDirector
Donald Lunny, musician
Mahmood Mamdani, writer
Miriam Margolyes, actor
Kika Markham, actress
Yann Martell, writer
Emer Martin, writer
Massive Attack, band
Kleber Mendonca Filho, director
Christy Moore, music
Thurston Moore, musician
Tom Morello, musician
Carol Morley, Principal
Laura Mulvey, film scholar
Karthika Nair, poet
Mira Nair, film director
Courttia Newland, writer, screenwriter
Pratibha Parmar, film director
Maxine Peake, actress
Aubrey Powell, Designer
Philip Pullman, writer
Stephen Rea, actor
Boots Riley, writer, director
Bruce Robbins, writer
Olga Rodriguez, writer
Jacqueline Rose, writer
Arundhati Roy, writer
Mark Ruffalo, actor
Alberto San Juan, actor
Susan Sarandon, actress
Alexei Sayle, comedian, writer
James Schamus, writer, producer
Nick Seymour, musician
Kamila Shamsie, writer
Tai Shani, artist
Alia Shawkat, actress
Tide Stamper, DJ
Juliet Stevenson, actress
Tilda Swinton, actress
Colm Tóibín, writer
Ricky Tomlinson, actor
Ben UFO, DJ
V, author, screenwriter
Yanis Varoufakis, author
Mirza Waheed, writer
Harriet Walter, actor
Roger Waters, musician
Irvine Welsh, writer
Monique Wilson, actress, activist
Jane Wilson, artist
Louise Wilson, artist
Michael Winterbottom, director
Penny Woolcock, writer, director
Susan Wooldridge, actress
Robert Wyatt, musician
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