JERUSALEM – Israeli police on Friday attacked mourners at the funeral procession of a prominent Palestinian journalist who was killed this week in the occupied West Bank, forcing the pallbearers to nearly drop the coffin.
Video showed police officers in Jerusalem punching and kicking a mourner next to the coffin containing the body of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, forcing him to the ground and the pallbearers to the rear. Many around them waved Palestinian flags.
In a statement, Israel Police said they were “forced into action” during the funeral because “rioters started throwing stones at the police officers” and some mourners chanted “nationalist incitement”.
Ms Abu Akleh, a prominent Palestinian-American journalist, was shot dead in the occupied West Bank during an Israeli raid on the city of Jenin on Wednesday morning. Witnesses said she was killed by an Israeli soldier.
The Israeli army said on Friday that while it was possible that Ms Abu Akleh was accidentally killed by Israeli fire, its initial investigations indicated she could also have been hit by a Palestinian gunman.
This is an evolving story.
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