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Riots broke out at Shirin Abu Akleh's funeral
Photo:
Ilia Yefimovich / dpa
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said she was "shocked" by the violence at the funeral of the killed Palestinian journalist Shirin Abu Akleh.
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Baerbock in Wangels
Photo: MARCUS BRANDT / AFP
It is "sad" that the funeral of the reporter from the Arabic broadcaster Al-Jazeera "could not take place in peace and with dignity," said Baerbock at the end of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Wangels, Schleswig-Holstein.
»To be honest, to say it personally: I am deeply shocked.«
On Friday, the reporter was buried in a Christian Orthodox cemetery near Jerusalem's Old City, and thousands of people attended the funeral.
This led to clashes, the Israeli police spoke of hundreds of violent demonstrators who, among other things, caused unrest by throwing stones.
However, video images circulating on the internet and broadcast by TV stations appear to show Israeli security forces beating people who appear to be carrying the coffin containing Abu Akleh's body.
The coffin almost fell to the ground.
As the Jerusalem rescue service Red Crescent later announced, 33 people were injured at the funeral.
Borrell blames Israeli police officers
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell blamed the police for the escalation.
The European Union was appalled by the scenes, he said.
"The EU condemns the disproportionate use of force and the disrespectful behavior of the Israeli police towards the participants in the funeral procession."
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki dodged whether she condemned the Israeli security forces for doing so.
Psaki spoke of "disturbing images" and said: "We regret intruding on a procession that should have been peaceful." Abu Akleh also had US citizenship.
The situation has been tense since the journalist was killed on Wednesday.
Abu Akleh was shot in the head while reporting on an Israeli military operation in Dezhenin in the north of the West Bank.
Al-Jazeera has accused Israeli security forces of deliberately killing the 51-year-old.
According to the Israeli armed forces, it is currently not possible to say “definitely” where the fatal shot came from.
The Palestinian Attorney General's Office said investigations had shown that only Israeli troops fired at the moment the journalist was hit.
Baerbock said in Wangels on Saturday that the journalist's death should be clarified transparently.
High-ranking Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh tweeted on Saturday that international support in the investigation was welcome.
hba/dpa/AFP
