Slain veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh honored with street naming, scholarships

RAMALLAH (AA) – More than 100 days after Shireen Abu Akleh was murdered in Jenin, hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Ramallah to unveil a street named after the Palestinian veteran journalist.

The street is on the way that Abu Akleh used to travel daily to get to work at the Al-Jazeera network office in Ramallah and where she was reporting live coverage of incidents in Palestine.

Ramallah City Municipal Council announced the new street in the presence of Abu Akleh’s family and supporters, along with a monument where she stood during her reporting.

Ramallah Municipal spokeswoman Maram Totah said the street names are a way to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the Palestinian cause as city streets are always named after martyrs and fighters who carried their message in their lives and deaths.

“Shireen was an exceptional giver. She held the voice of the Palestinians and never stopped telling the world about the crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinians,” said Totah.

“She had a special, special place in the hearts of the city’s people. . . this memorization of her in Ramallah is to honor her and all the martyrs of the Palestinian press,” Totah added.

In addition to Ramallah, many Palestinian cities have named streets and central squares after martyrs on the West Bank and Gaza strip.

Several universities have launched scholarships and prizes in Abu Akleh’s name, including Birzeit University, Al-Quds University and the Arab American University in Jenin and Beirut.

Abu Akleh lived and worked in Ramallah.

Her photos and murals bearing her image are ubiquitous in the West Bank.

Families have also named their children in tribute to the veteran journalist and to express the endless effect and presence of her voice in their memories.

The Thabet family from Rafah in the southern Gaza strip named their twin daughters Shireen and Jenin, days after Abu Akleh’s assassination.

“We missed her voice during the last Israeli attacks against Gaza. She was our high voice and through her coverage, the world heard about our continuous suffering,” the girl’s father, Mohammad, told Anadolu Agency.

Following the last Israeli attack on Gaza, Thabet’s house was slated for demolition and his 3-month-old daughters were injured.

“If the Israeli army killed Shireen, there are thousands of Shireen. I gave my daughter Shireen’s name because when you give your child a name of a martyr you ensure his upbringing,” added Thabet.

The family of Abu Akleh’s is still trying to get justice demanding a US investigation that they hope will lead to accountability.

Three journalists were killed during the war against Gaza in August with 33 media headquarters attacked by airstrikes.

More than 100 assaults have been documented against journalists since the beginning of 2022, with most in Jerusalem and Jenin in April.