Irish foreign minister 'shocked' by images from Palestinian journalist's funeral procession

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – A top Irish Cabinet minister on Friday declared himself “shocked” Friday by images of violence emerging from the funeral procession of slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Video clips from her funeral procession showed Israeli riot police clashing with mourners and firing tear gas as people carried her coffin outside a Jeruselum hospital.

“We were all shocked after seeing the images of the funeral, which seemed extraordinary in terms of the policing of the funeral today,” Irish Defense and Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told a press conference in Madrid.

“Every country has the obligation to protect journalists, particularly in conflict zones,” he added.

Both the Spanish and Irish foreign ministers firmly condemned the death of the Al Jazeera journalist and called for an in-depth investigation into the cause of her death.

During the bilateral meeting, the two also said they discussed the need for “new ideas to avoid a new cycle of violence” in Israel, with Coveney insisting that the “international community should be more proactive” in the region.

Abu Akleh died from a shot to the head while she was covering an Israeli raid in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp.

Al Jazeera and Palestinian authorities say she was shot by Israeli forces.