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This Monday, the United States published the report of the investigation into the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. According to the conclusions of that report, it is likely that the reporter was killed by gunfire from Israeli positions, but that her death was not intentional. Investigators were unable to reach a definitive conclusion about the origin of the bullet that struck her. The Palestinians called the investigation “manipulation.”
According to US reports, made public on Monday, journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was “probably” killed by shots fired from Israeli positions, although they could not confirm this. Experts added that they have “no reason” to believe it was a deliberate shot.
The Israelis had entrusted their US allies with the bullet that killed Shireen Abu Akleh for analysis. However, according to the experts of the North American nation, the projectile was too damaged to be able to verify its origin. For its analysis, the US authorities say they have had “full access” to the investigations of the Israeli forces and the Palestinian Authority in recent weeks.
“In this specific case, despite the forensic investigation, it was not possible to reach a definitive conclusion. Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine the origin of the shot. Therefore, the investigation will continue,” said Benny Gantz, Minister of Defense Israeli.
Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American reporter reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for Al-Jazeera, was killed on May 11 during an Israeli raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The Palestinians denounced an intentional killing by Israel, an extreme that the Jewish nation flatly denies.
“During this operation, hundreds of bullets were fired at Israeli troops, who responded by firing only in the direction of the sources of fire,” Gantz apologized.
However, the Palestinian Authority’s Civil Affairs Minister, Hussein Al-Sheikh, was not at all happy with the investigation’s conclusions. “We do not accept attempts to hide the truth and we are not afraid to blame Israel (…), which is responsible for the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh,” he said in reaction to the release of the statement.
Palestinian leadership denounces manipulated investigation
The Palestinians reacted angrily to the US State Department report.
Palestinian Attorney General Akram al-Khatib said the US conclusion about the “heavily damaged” bullet was incorrect and claimed that Abu Akleh had been deliberately targeted.
“The bullet is not the only evidence, there is other evidence, witnesses, the place of the wounds, the remains of the bullets, also the investigations that were carried out. All of them condemn Israel in this crime, and the attempt of the United States United to prove that Israel is innocent, it has failed,” said Al-Jazeera’s Palestinian bureau chief Walid al-Omari.
Nabil Abu Rudeinah, spokesman for the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, described the US investigation as a “manipulation” of the facts and warned that they will continue to seek justice in international courts.
“Israel is the only side that shot (Shireen), and we will never give up our right to prosecute this crime in the international criminal court. The US administration must preserve its credibility and hold the Israeli government and its military fully accountable for the murder.” said the spokesman.
After inspection of photographic material, video, consultations with experts and interviews with witnesses, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded on June 24 that the Israeli army was responsible for the journalist’s death.
“All the information we have collected – including official information from the Israeli army and the Palestinian attorney general – is consistent with the conclusion that the shots that killed Abu Akleh and wounded his colleague Ali Sammoudi came from the Israeli security forces and not from indiscriminate shooting by armed Palestinians, as the Israeli authorities initially claimed,” the United Nations published on June 24.
Abu Akleh’s family terrified by investigation
The family of the deceased journalist harshly questioned the experts’ forensic report on Monday and described it as an insult to the reporter’s memory.
The family was particularly upset at the conclusion that the shot that killed the reporter was not intentional but the result of “tragic circumstances” during an Israeli army operation in the West Bank city of Jenin.
“This is an insult to Shireen’s memory and ignores the history and context of the brutal and violent nature of what is today the longest military occupation in modern history,” the family said in a statement, describing her death. as an “extrajudicial execution”.
“To say that this investigation, with its total lack of transparency, undefined objectives and support for Israel’s general position, is a disappointment would be an understatement,” added the family, who announced that they will continue to advocate for justice “despite attempts to hide the reality”.
With EFE, Reuters, AFP
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