TEL AVIV aEUR “The Palestinian Authority claims it gave U.S. officials a bullet that killed Shireen Abu Akleh, a prominent Palestinian-American journalist.
Officials from Israel and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately respond to our inquiries.
Although there have been several outside investigations that suggested she was killed by the Israeli army, Israel insists it cannot determine the facts until Palestinians submit a bullet for a joint investigation. The U.S. has called on Israelis and Palestinians to share their evidence.
The Palestinian Public Prosecutor claims that his office gave the bullet to U.S. officials, but refused to give it to Israeli officials.
NPR was informed by a Palestinian official who spoke on condition of anonymity that the bullet sharing agreement was reached in a telephone call between Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, and Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority.
Abu Akleh’s family told NPR that they are alarmed and concerned by the fact that the bullet was shared with U.S. officials.
They had called for an investigation by the U.S., but they now say that no one has informed them who will be looking at the bullet and that they are unsure if accountability will result.
