Israel-Palestine, Togo, Hong Kong.

Today's three stories you should know.

May 11, 2022

Israel-Palestine

Shireen Abu Akleh, a true icon of Arab journalism, was shot in the face and killed today by the Israeli army. Her longtime employer, Al Jazeera, said she was deliberately targeted in an act of “blatant murder.” Abu Akleh, who was 51, was shot as she covered an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. She was wearing a helmet and a press vest that clearly identified her as a journalist. The Israeli army initially said it was likely she was killed by “Palestinian gunmen” in a clash with Israeli soldiers. But every single journalist on the scene immediately contradicted that account, saying she was shot by a sniper deliberately and without warning. People across the Arab world poured out their anger and sorrow on social media, many recalling how they had watched her fearlessly document the conflict in Palestine as they grew up. Young female journalists said she inspired them to enter the profession. Most Palestinians, all too used to similar cases, said they held out no hope of anyone being held accountable for her killing. Shortly after Abu Akleh died, her image appeared on a huge video billboard overlooking the West Bank city of Ramallah. The words on the screen simply read: “Goodbye Shireen, the voice of Palestine.”

Togo

A worrying development in Togo today. Eight soldiers were killed and 13 wounded when a group of gunmen attacked an army outpost near the border with Burkina Faso. As mentioned in previous newsletters, the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have for years been locked in a brutal conflict with ISIS- and al-Qaeda-linked groups who operate in the border areas between the three countries. Officials will now worry that the groups are expanding their operations into a fourth nation.

Hong Kong

Cardinal Joseph Zen, one of the Catholic Church’s most senior members and an extremely well-known figure in Hong Kong, was arrested in the territory today under its controversial national security law. Ninety-year-old Zen was held alongside singer and actor Denise Ho, ex-legislator Margaret Ng and academic Dr Hui Po Keung. All four are accused of colluding with foreign forces in relation to support they gave to an organization that helped pro-democracy demonstrators in financial need.