A Palestinian investigation into the shooting death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has concluded that Israeli forces deliberately killed her while trying to flee, the Palestinian Authority has announced.
The conclusion echoed the results of a preliminary investigation announced almost two weeks ago and was widely expected. Israel rejected the findings, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz called them a “blatant lie.”
Abu Akleh, a veteran Palestinian-American journalist from Al Jazeera’s Arab service, was shot in the head on May 11 during an Israeli military raid on Jenin, an occupied West Bank city.
Palestinian witnesses and officials said she was hit by Israeli fire. Israel has said it was shot during a battle between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants, adding that only a ballistic analysis of the bullet – which is being conducted by the Palestinian Authority (PA) – and the soldiers’ weapons can determine who went shoot the deadly shot.
Announcing the results of his investigation at a press conference in Ramallah, Palestinian Attorney General Akram Al Khateeb said he had determined that there were no militants in the vicinity of Abu Akleh.
“The only shooting was by the occupation forces, with the aim of killing,” he said.
Abu Akleh was part of a group of journalists wearing protective helmets and vests with the “press” brand. Khateeb said the army saw the journalists and knew they were journalists.
He accused Israel of shooting Abu Akleh “directly and deliberately” while trying to escape. He also reiterated the Palestinian position that the bullet would not be handed over to Israelis for study, adding that it had been decided not to even show images “for deprivation.” [Israel] of a new lie ”.
Khateeb said his investigation was based on interviews with witnesses, a scene inspection and a forensic medical report.
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In a speech later Thursday, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, said it was impossible to know who fired the bullet and again called on the Palestinians to cooperate in ” get to the bottom “of the bullet. what happened.
“But there is one thing that can be determined with certainty,” he said. “No soldiers intentionally shot at a journalist. We investigated. We checked it out. That is the conclusion. There is no other. “
Israel denies targeting reporters and has suggested two possible scenarios, saying Abu Akleh was shot dead by Palestinian militants who fired recklessly at an Israeli army convoy or was shot by Israeli gunmen at a nearby militant. . The army has identified the rifle that could have been used in this scenario, but says it must test the bullet to make a final determination.
A reconstruction of the AP’s facts has supported witnesses who say she was shot by Israeli troops, even though she was wearing a helmet and a vest that clearly identified her as media. But the reconstruction said it was impossible to reach a conclusive finding without further forensic analysis.
Palestinian witnesses said there were no militants or clashes near Abu Akleh. The only known militants in the area were on the other side of the convoy, about 300 meters from their position.
They did not have a direct line of sight, unlike the convoy itself, which was about 200 meters down a long straight road.
Israel has publicly called for a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority, including US involvement, and has called on the Palestinian Authority to hand over the bullet for testing. But the U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it had not received any formal request for help from either side two weeks after Abu Akleh’s death.
The PA has refused to cooperate with Israel, saying Israel cannot be trusted to investigate its own conduct. Israeli rights groups say Israel has a poor history of investigation when security forces shoot Palestinians, with cases often languishing for months or years before being silently shut down.
Hussein Al Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, said Thursday’s report would be shared with the US administration. Copies will also be delivered to Abu Akleh’s family and Al Jazeera, he said.
Palestinians say they will also share their findings with international parties, including the International Criminal Court, which last year launched an investigation into possible Israeli war crimes. Israel has rejected this investigation as biased against it and is not cooperating.
The great distrust means that Israeli and Palestinian investigations into Abu Akleh’s death are being conducted separately, with neither accepting the other’s conclusions.