A state service for the slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh took place in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, a day after she was killed by Israeli forces. Thousands of Palestinians attended the ceremony, which took place at the Palestinian Authority’s presidential compound at noon on Thursday in the occupied West Bank city. Abu Akleh was shot dead by Israeli forces while she was covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin city early on Wednesday. President Mahmoud Abbas honored Abu Akleh and bid her farewell at the compound, where a large procession by the national guard was also held. Speaking at the ceremony, Abbas said Israel was “fully responsible” for Abu Akleh’s death.
“We reject the joint investigation with Israel into the killing of Abu Akleh,” Abbas said, adding that the Palestinian officials would go to the International Criminal Court to seek justice. On Wednesday and Thursday, Abu Akleh was honored in several Palestinian cities, including Jenin, where she was killed, Nablus, and Ramallah, as her body traveled from the northern West Bank to Jerusalem, in a long procession demonstrating the outpouring of grief among Palestinians. Her body was carried in several protests, with hundreds of Palestinians attending and chanting slogans including “with our souls, with our blood, we sacrifice for you, Shireen,” and, “From Ramallah, to Jenin, may God have mercy on your soul, Shireen.”
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