An Australian of Palestinian descent, who was seriously injured in an alleged shooting in the West Bank last year, is still waiting for answers around who is responsible. Raneem Abu-Izneid lost the sight in her right eye and is also battling mental scars. Reporter Alexander Alvaro travelled to Morwell, in south-eastern Victoria, to meet her.
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00:00It feels like the tie between me and I that I've lost back in Abu Dees is still there
00:13and it feels like it tugs at my soul.
00:17Reneem Abu Isnaid is living a quiet life in regional Victoria.
00:22It's a far cry from the vibrant student life she once led in Abu Dees.
00:27It's not always that I am positive, sometimes dark thoughts really do sink in, but the reason
00:34to why I keep on doing what I'm doing and kind of kicking is because I was on the verge
00:42of dying.
00:43Reneem says she was on the fourth floor of her student accommodation when she was struck
00:48by shrapnel in November last year in an alleged shooting incident involving Israeli border police.
00:55Her right eye has been replaced by a prosthetic.
00:58I don't like to mention this much but even here sometimes I feel like I'm isolated from
01:03the things that I've experienced, the stuff that I've lived through.
01:07The twenty year old takes a four hour round trip to university twice a week.
01:12She's studying biomedicine in the hope it eventually leads her back to a career in dentistry if
01:18her ongoing issues with depth perception can be resolved.
01:22Reneem's lawyers have been told Israeli authorities have commenced an investigation, but there's
01:27been no update.
01:29It doesn't preclude the Australian government itself from referring the case to be investigated
01:35by the AFP.
01:36They could request information from the Israeli authorities to obtain forms of evidence.
01:42We've always been quite the proud Australians.
01:47It doesn't seem that Australia wants me as Australian.
01:50A DFAT spokesperson says the Australian government continues to seek updates from Israel and has
01:57made it clear that it expects a comprehensive, thorough and transparent investigation.
02:03Israeli authorities were contacted for comment on Friday but did not respond by deadline, a spokesperson
02:08saying Jews were currently observing Passover.
02:12In the meantime, Reneem's trying to get her life back on track.