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Lina Abu Akleh, niece of murdered Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, sits surrounded by photographs of her former aunt, at the relative circle house in occupied East Jerusalem on July 13, 2022. Credit: Rosie Scammell: AFP via Getty Images
Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was known to Palestinians long before her assassination on May 11. In the weeks following her aunt’s death, Lina Abu Akleh discovered herself to be in a situation of justice. President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday amid mounting pressure from congressional Democrats, human rights teams and Shireen’s circle of relatives for a full investigation and responsibility for his death. (Shireen had U. S. and Palestinian citizenship). ” We will continue to insist on a complete and transparent one of his death and we will continue to protect press freedom around the world,” Biden said Friday on his stopover in the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
A press release from the U. S. State DepartmentThe U. S. Department of Agriculture on July 4 said a government investigation had concluded that “firing from IDF positions was likely to blame for the death of Shireen Abu Akleh” and that “there was no explanation as to why it was intentional. “The investigation has been criticized by Palestinians and human rights groups. Previous media investigations and a UN investigation separately concluded that an Israeli soldier likely fired the bullet that killed Shireen and contradicted Israeli government accounts that there was active fighting near her in the previous moments. until his death.
Read more: Problems with Israel over the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
Shireen’s circle of relatives had sent Biden a letter asking him to meet with them on his vacation in the Palestinian territories, expressing sadness at the U. S. reaction and calling for him to order the Justice Department to “take action against Shireen’s extrajudicial execution. “
TIME spoke with Lina in the midst of Biden’s July 13-16 visit to the Middle East about her memories of Shireen, what duty means to her family, and her vision of the American reaction to her murder.
Can you tell me about your dates with Shireen?Are there any special memories that stand out?
Growing up, I was very close to Shireen. She likes an older sister and a mommy moment for me. We are a very small family. He likes our most productive friend. He is someone we grew up looking for as a role model. But at the same time, she is an aunt who laughs. We would sit with her and she would teach us how to play cards.
Did you have a favorite card game?
Tarneeb [an Arabic trick game involving 4 players]. A few days before she was killed, I don’t forget that she was at her house and I was sitting next to her and looking on her phone. He was betting tarneeb on his phone. So it’s fun how it went from literal card games. to a digitized version. And she was hunting to teach me how to play all those years.
Have you ever understood?
At some point, I did. I don’t forget to tell him that I had friends who were very involved, especially COVID; she gave me advice: what to do, what cards to use.
Traveling with her was fun. I used to help her find the most productive blazers because she needed to look professional when reporting. These are the things I will miss. And spend hours watching Netflix.
What Netflix shows?
He liked detective series and mysterious murders, although he hated anything bloody. The last exhibit we saw in combination was Black Mirror. She enjoyed this exhibition. I even had this thing where I jumped all the way to the end, so I knew it was going to be a happy ending. Everything I say now is ironic. Unfortunately, his end was not satisfied. But as for how I don’t forget her, she was a very funny person, not as serious as she gave the impression on television.
What does justice and duty mean to you and your circle of relatives in terms of Shireen, but also more generally?
For us, the duty is to hold accountable the soldier who killed Shireen and the user who gave the order to kill her: to see them imprisoned. It also depends on the total formula to be responsible. This is an integral component of Israel. professional politics. The Israeli government will have to be held accountable. And that is justice for Shireen, justice for all other Palestinian journalists killed, and justice for all other Palestinians who suffer violence in their daily lives.
Reporting in the Palestinian territories has long been dangerous. At least 30 reporters have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza since 2000. How is Shireen’s death compatible in this broader context?
It is vital to note that this is not a separate incident. In 2018, the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry published a report indicating that Israeli forces were targeting civilians, paramedics and journalists. Shireen is not the first journalist killed. with a very similar case in Shireen in 2003. He is a British citizen, James Miller, who killed in Rafah, south of Gaza City. The same thing: he was wearing a press vest and a helmet and shot him in the neck. a genuine shame that there has been no responsibility in the past. The Israeli government has never been held accountable. The military has never been held accountable.
The fact that Shireen is a U. S. citizen?it made a difference on stage and in the U. S. response. USA? Should it have made a difference?
It is vital to note that Shireen was a human being, whether or not he was a U. S. citizen. He was a human being who was killed in a very gruesome and heinous way. But the way the U. S. treated the case was very disappointing. We appreciate all the comfort and comfort you have given us since day one. But it’s time to see meaningful action. We had hoped that there would be more commitment and support, but unfortunately that has not been the case. She was a U. S. citizen. She was a woman journalist. These are vital factors. And given how much the United States talks about human rights, freedom of the press, coverage of journalists, especially women, I feel like this hasn’t been implemented in Shireen’s case. Shireen would not be an exception just because she is Palestinian American. It turns out she was a U. S. citizen. Therefore, they have an obligation; they have a duty to hold the Israeli government accountable. But since she’s Palestinian and she was killed here, I think that made a difference in the way the U. S. treated her murder.
The U. S. State Department investigationsaid he found no explanation as to why this was intentional. What is your response?
Honestly, I was disappointed that they wrote something like this, especially contemplating the fact that it wasn’t based on any evidence. It was just an investigation or a summary of the Israeli government’s narrative. And the fact that they said it wasn’t intentional makes me wonder: How did they come to this conclusion?We need to have more data on credibility, on the ratings of the other people who did this research, who wrote theArray.
What can you tell us about U. S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s outreach to his family?
Blinken called us earlier this week. We spoke with him and reiterated our demands and our request to meet the president on his stopover here. We also express our sadness with the statements. We feel abandoned, abandoned. And that’s when he presented his condolences. He invited us to Washington, D. C. to sit down and talk. It is vital for us to have a face-to-face interaction. This allows us to perceive what their next steps are. But at the same time, we hope to find him here in the place where Shireen was born, the place where Shireen lived and, above all, the place where Shireen was killed. It was his home, Jerusalem was his home. She was the daughter of Jerusalem and Palestine was her homeland. It was therefore very important that we meet here and, unfortunately, up to this point, we have not yet heard from you. There hasn’t been a definitive yes or no answer on whether or not he will meet here, so I’m not sure he’ll take a stand [Biden and Blinken left for Saudi Arabia on Friday].
As for him or him in the Palestinian territories in particular?
As for your assembly in Palestina. No I’m sure about D. C. I don’t have any data on it yet.
Can you tell me about your upbringing?
I grew up in Jerusalem in an Armenian Palestinian family. (My mother is Armenian. )I’ve been exposed to politics, in part since Shireen was a journalist. His paintings have encouraged me. This is what led me to pursue political studies and studies in spite of everything cadres in the field of human rights and politics.
I love Jerusalem, but developing here was not easy. I don’t forget having to cross the Israeli checkpoints to get to our school and it was a very traumatic experience for me. It’s not easy. It’s not something you get used to and you never get used to.
I earned my master’s degree in International Studies from the University of San Francisco and chose one on human rights, governance, and global justice. I didn’t know I would use my degrees, experience, and experience to advocate for Shireen’s justice and accountability. It never occurred to me to communicate it to the press. But when you are put in such situations, you have no choice.
Read more: During Biden’s visit to the Middle East, human rights are not a priority
What do you expect Shireen’s legacy to be?
Shireen’s legacy is important. He stood for truth, peace and justice. His voice will continue to resonate in Palestine, in the Arab world and abroad. She was a human being before a journalist. He humanized the Palestinians; she took her time to perceive them and pay attention to them because she too is part of this struggle for freedom. He carried all their voices, entered every village, city, refugee camp. He covered each and every story from each and every one and each and every angle. That is their message: to show the realities of Palestinians on the ground, to show the realities of the profession and violence that Palestinians face on a daily basis. She from the other people and for the other people. That’s why we’ve noticed that tens of thousands of other people attended his funeral and many continue to communicate about it.
You grew up watching some of his work, didn’t you?
I used to sit next to her and watch her work. He waited patiently until he was live so that he could tell everyone “shushu is live. “I never called her Shireen. That was my nickname for her. she to appear on tv. Last year, in May, during the last war in Gaza, I don’t forget that I got stuck in San Francisco because they closed the Tel Aviv airport, so I couldn’t fly there. That was the only time Shireen didn’t respond to my text messages. She responds regularly to the minute. So it was the only time and I was very worried. So I was glued to the TV. In San Francisco, I would monitor her and make sure she’s okay. And that was my source of convenience when I saw her: she’s safe, she’s paying. She is cautious. I grew up watching her and hearing stories from her, so I felt it was part of her total experience. He would come home and share everything with me, even in his last days.
It turns out that she has had a very hard influence on your life.
Yes, very reported on the struggle to access water throughout the Jordan Valley. And I had selected this specific city. She said, Lina, not many other people communicate about it. And I said, you know what, my thesis is going to be about the water problem. It’s not as covered as it should be. You know, she encouraged me a lot. Every direction and every resolution I’ve made in my life has been very encouraged through it.
Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you think is knowing?
It is vital to also communicate about the funeral. I say it all the time that Shireen wasn’t killed once. She was killed twice. Once in Jenin and again in Jerusalem when his funeral was attacked by the Israeli insurrectionary police. The way they attacked us was brutal. They were armed to the teeth; they attacked us, the mourners. But even this time, I felt that Shireen’s voice was even louder.
This interview has been edited and summarized for clarity.