U.S. officials concluded that Shireen Abu Akleh, Al-Jazeera journalist, was likely killed by gunfire from Israeli positions. However, there is no reason to believe that her shooting was deliberate, the State Department stated Monday.
According to Ned Price, a State Department spokesperson, the finding was made after inconclusive tests that were conducted under U.S. supervision of the bullet found in Abu Akleh’s corpse. According to the State Department, “independent, third party examiners” conducted an “extremely thorough forensic analysis.”
Price stated in the statement that “Ballistic experts determined that the bullet was severely damaged” and did not give any indication as to who fired it.
Abu Akleh was a well-known veteran Palestinian-American correspondent, who was killed during an Israeli military raid in Jenin refugee camp, the occupied West Bank. Eyewitnesses from Palestine, including her crew, claim that she was killed by Israeli troops and that no militants were in her immediate vicinity.
Israel claims she was killed in a complex battle against militants from the Palestinians. Only a forensic analysis would confirm if the bullet was fired by an Israeli soldier, or a militant. Although Israel strongly denies that she was intentionally targeted, it has suggested that an Israeli soldier might have accidentally hit her during an exchange fire with a militant.
Price stated that U.S. security officers had reviewed the results of separate Israeli and Palestinian investigations and concluded that “gunfire from IDF positions was likely to have caused the death Shireen Abu Akleh’s death.”
Price stated that the U.S. had “no reason to believe this was intentional, but rather tragic circumstances during an IDF military operation against factions Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”
The Israeli military presented its findings in an investigation and made a statement likely to anger the Palestinian Authority. It had strongly rejected any Israeli involvement in the probe, and refused to share the bullets with Israeli authorities.
According to the military, the bullet was in U.S. custody throughout the entire process. However, it was examined in Israel by forensic experts at a forensic laboratory.
The army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi ordered that the investigation continue “using all possible means”, the military stated in a statement. It stated that any decision about whether to open criminal investigations would be made only after the operational investigation was completed.
Al Jazeera and the Palestinian Authority both accused Israeli forces in a deliberate attack on Abu Akleh, just hours after her death. Al Jazeera urged the international community “to condemn and hold accountable the Israeli occupation forces for deliberately targeting and murdering our colleague.”
A reconstruction by the Associated Press of her death supports accounts from Palestinian eyewitnesses including her crew that she was murdered by Israeli forces. CNN, The New York Times, and the Washington Post all came to similar conclusions.
Abu Akleh, 51 years old, was born in Jerusalem. In 1997, she began her work for Al Jazeera and was able to report on-camera regularly from all over the Palestinian territories.
Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News’ correspondent, knew Abu Akleh personally. He used to work in Jerusalem with her. He described her as a kind, generous colleague who tried to help people who were seldom heard.
“I chose journalism because I wanted to be close to people. Although it might not be possible to change the reality, at least I could bring their voice to the rest of the world. I am ShireenAbu Akleh”. This is Shireen. Now, her voice is muted pic.twitter.com/z0HCHgxJel
Apart from the passing of Yasser Al-Arafat, there has never been a palestinian funeral more extravagant than this. This is how Shireen was loved and respected. She will be greatly missed. This cannot be taken away. https://t.co/a9lvbeN0wY
Abu Akleh’s funeral procession was marred by violence on May 13, when a large crowd gathered to transport her coffin from the hospital morgue into a church in Jerusalem’s Old City. Video footage showed Israeli riot police shooting tear gas and pushing mourners.
Al Jazeera reported that Israel warned Abu Akleh’s brother to limit the size and frequency of the funeral procession. He also told him not to display any Palestinian flags or chant slogans, but he declined the request.
