Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s death should have marked a turning point for the United States government’s approach to the protection of journalists overseas – but when an allied nation could be to blame, that becomes a problem.
Abu Akleh, a veteran journalist who worked for Al-Jazeera, was many things: she was a Christian and a brave reporter, but to most Palestinians she was a beloved household name who many grew up watching on TV. Her death came as a shock, not the least because eyewitness journalists said Israeli forces shot her in the head with live ammunition, during a raid on Jenin Camp in the West Bank.