Slain Al Jazeera journalist to be laid to rest in Jerusalem
ABC News
Thousands of Palestinians are expected to attend the funeral in Jerusalem of an Al Jazeera journalist who witnesses say was shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank
JERUSALEM -- Thousands of Palestinians are expected to attend the funeral on Friday in Jerusalem of an Al Jazeera journalist who witnesses say was shot dead by Israeli forces earlier this week while covering a military operation in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military said its initial investigation showed that a heavy firefight was underway around 200 meters (yards) from where Shireen Abu Akleh was hit, but that it was unable to determine whether she was shot by Israeli forces or Palestinian militants.
Recent days have seen an outpouring of grief from across the Palestinian territories and the wider Arab world over the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran on-air correspondent who spent a quarter century covering the harsh realities of life under Israeli military rule, which is well into its sixth decade with no end in sight.
A funeral service will be held on Friday afternoon at a Catholic church in Jerusalem's Old City before her body is taken to a nearby cemetery for burial. Large crowds are expected to attend amid a heightened Israeli police presence. Qatar-based Al Jazeera said its managing director, Ahmad Alyafei, would travel to Jerusalem to attend the funeral.
