Clashes erupted in Jerusalem on Friday during the funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran Palestinian journalist who had worked with Al Jazeera for more than two decades. The reporter was killed earlier this week under unclear circumstances during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank.
Israeli police blamed the violence on Palestinian “rioters” who allegedly pelted the hospital compound from which the funeral procession began with stones. Policemen “were forced to act,” Tel Aviv insisted, with security forces deploying crowd control measures to disperse the “rioters.”
Footage from the scene shows Israeli police charging the funeral procession and beating Palestinians with batons. People carrying the reporter’s coffin were apparently targeted as well, nearly dropping the casket on the ground. At least 10 Palestinians were injured in the violence.
Abu Akleh was killed on Wednesday during a military raid on the city of Jenin in the northern part of the West Bank. The Palestinian authorities were quick to blame the Israeli forces for her death, claiming the 51-year-old journalist was shot in her head. Another Palestinian journalist, Ali Samoudi, was reportedly wounded in the back during the deadly raid on the city. He was hospitalized in stable condition.