Al Jazeera reports that it will file a case with the International Criminal Court over the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead earlier this month during an Israeli incursion into the occupied West Bank.
The Qatar-based network and the Palestinian Authority have accused Israeli soldiers of deliberately killing her.
Israel rejects these accusations as a “blatant lie.” She says she was shot during a shootout between Palestinian soldiers and militants, and that only ballistic analysis of the bullet – which is in the hands of the Palestinian Authority – can determine who fired the deadly shot.
A reconstruction of the AP supported witnesses who say the veteran Palestinian-American correspondent was killed by Israeli fire, but any final conclusions may depend on evidence that has not yet been published.
Palestinians visit the site where veteran Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 18, 2022. Al Jazeera reports that it will file a case with the International Criminal Court on the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead earlier this month during an Israeli incursion into the occupied West Bank. (Photo AP / Majdi Mohammed, file) (AP)
Al Jazeera said on Thursday afternoon that it had formed an international legal team to prepare a dossier for submission to the ICC. The court launched an investigation into possible Israeli war crimes last year. Israel is not a member of the ICC and has rejected the investigation as biased against it.
Al Jazeera said the dossier would also include the Israeli bombing of the building that houses its offices in Gaza City during last year’s war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, “as well as the continuing incitement. and attacks on its journalists operating in the occupied area. ” Palestinian territories ”.
Israel said the building, which also housed the Associated Press office in Gaza, contained Hamas military infrastructure, but did not provide any evidence. The AP was unaware of any alleged Hamas presence in the building and condemned the strike as “shocking and horrific”. No one was injured in the attack, which was followed by an Israeli evacuation warning.
“The network is committed to pursuing all avenues for justice for Shireen and ensuring that those responsible for her murder are brought to justice and that they are held accountable on all international and legal platforms and tribunals,” Al Jazeera said.
Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin in the early hours of Wednesday. (Twitter)
Israel says it cannot determine whether Palestinian militants or their own soldiers fired the deadly shot unless the AP delivers the bullet that killed Abu Akleh for ballistic analysis. The AP has refused to cooperate with Israel in any way, saying it does not trust Israel to investigate itself.
The AP announced the results of its own investigation on Thursday, saying Abu Akleh had been deliberately killed by Israeli forces and that there were no militants in the area. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz dismissed the findings, saying “any claim that IDF intentionally harms journalists or civilians not involved is a blatant lie,” referring to the Israeli military.
Palestinian Attorney General Akram Al Khateeb, announcing the results of the investigation, said the bullet that killed her was a 5.56 mm NATO ammunition and appeared to have been fired by a semi-automatic Ruger Mini rifle. -14.
The Israeli military declined to comment on whether the weapon described by the Palestinians matches one that the military has previously identified as possibly for firing the deadly shot. He also declined to say whether the army used the Ruger Mini-14 or whether it was in use during the May 11 attack in which Abu Akleh was killed in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Israel has publicly called for a joint investigation with the PA, with US involvement. The State Department said this week that neither Israel nor the PA have formally requested their help. Each side has the sole possession of potentially crucial evidence, and neither is likely to accept any conclusion reached by the other.