WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – The State Department stated on Monday that there was “no reason to believe” that Palestinian American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was intentionally shot, concluding that gunfire from Israeli army positions was most likely what killed her.
The gunshot that killed Abu Akleh, a seasoned Al Jazeera journalist, in the occupied West Bank in May was so severely damaged that a forensic examination overseen by American authorities was unable to determine with certainty where it originated, according to a statement from State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
The U.S. Security Coordinator, the body in charge of the inquiry, came to the conclusion that shooting from IDF positions was “likely responsible” after being given access to both Palestinian and Israeli investigations over the last two weeks, Price said. The nation’s armed forces are known as the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF.
The incident occurred during an IDF operation on the extremist group Islamic Jihad after a series of terrorist attacks in Israel, according to a statement from the U.S. investigators. There is no reason to suspect that this was done intentionally, they said.
According to CNN, investigations by the UN and a number of independent Western media outlets determined that Israeli gunfire was to blame. But news from Washington, which frequently acts as the arbitrator in the larger struggle between Israel and the Palestinians, will be taken seriously.
In its own statement, the IDF said that it was impossible to identify the source of the gunshot but added that it had definitively established that no IDF soldier had intentionally shot at Ms. Abu Akleh.
According to a tweet from Hussein Al Sheikh, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority’s civil affairs division, the Israeli “occupation” administration “bears responsibility for the assassination.”
The probe, according to the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, was “supported by the US whitewash.” In a statement, it blasted Washington for attempting to characterize the death as an accident rather than a crime for which those involved should be held accountable.
On May 11, while reporting the operation in the West Bank, Abu Akleh was fatally shot. Before President Joe Biden’s arrival, the assassination of the woman and the accompanying conflict, as well as an Israeli police assault during her funeral, have heightened tensions between the 2 sides.
The Israeli military is accused by the Palestinians of intentionally killing her. Israel disputes that, claiming that Abu Akleh may have been struck by stray bullets fired by one of its personnel or by nearby Palestinian assailants who it claimed were engaged in combat with its forces.
Israeli soldiers are believed to have fired the gunfire that killed their colleague, according to Al Jazeera employees who saw the event and a second reporter who was injured.
There were no altercations or Palestinian militants around when Abu Akleh was slain, according to the journalists who were with her, including one who was hit and wounded. They were all wearing protective gear that made it obvious that they were all journalists.
The U.N. human rights department stated last month that its investigations had shown that, contrary to Israel’s assertions, she was slain by IDF gunfire and not by Palestinian gunfire that was fired randomly.
Israel requested the Palestinians turn over the bullet that murdered Abu Akleh so it could conduct a forensic study to ascertain who fired it in response to mounting domestic and international pressure. Although there was dispute on the specifics of Washington’s involvement, the Palestinians only did so when it became a factor.
While Israeli authorities made it apparent that the ballistics tests would be conducted by them under U.S. officials’ supervision, Palestinian officials claimed they had sent the bullet to U.S. authorities with the assurance that Israel would not perform them.
The analysis had been supervised and given full access, according to the U.S. Security Coordinator, a team of Defense Department representatives assigned to the State Department.
Image via CNN
