Cape Town – A group of students in the US staged a protest during a graduation ceremony in honour of murdered Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
At the ceremony, Palestinian-American student Nooran Alhamdan from Georgetown University can be seen carrying a Palestinian flag and refused to shake hands with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Alhamdan said they were protesting not only due to the incompetent US role in the region, but also due to the “toothless remarks” that the US has over the situation.
“It was not just a statement about Shireen the martyr, it was also a larger statement about justice for Palestinians and an end to the occupation,” said Alhamdan.
“And so my exact response in that moment to the Secretary of State was that we know the truth … Shireen was murdered by the Israeli military that we bankroll,” she said.
Alhamdan added that the US need to stop funding the Israeli military using American tax money.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera’s Washington bureau chief Abderrahim Foukara has urged the UN Security Council to ensure the protection of journalists and called for an independent probe into the murder of Abu Akleh.
“Al Jazeera’s position is crystal clear: Shireen Abu Akleh’s life matters, and so does a transparent and independent investigation of her killing and of the serious violation of her funeral by the Israeli security forces,” Foukara told the council in an informal meeting on Tuesday.
IOL