- mondoweiss
- The United States government has found that Israeli military forces “likely” killed veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin on May 11. However, the statement says her killing was an un-intentional “result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad”.
Abu Akleh’s family released a statement in response, saying:
“With respect to today’s announcement by the State Department – on July 4, no less – that a test of the spent round that killed Shireen Abu Akleh, an American citizen, was inconclusive as to the origin of the gun that fired it, we are incredulous. There were numerous eyewitnesses to the killing, and we have now had the benefit of reports from multiple local and international media outlets, human rights organizations, and the United Nations that an Israeli soldier fired the fatal shot, as there were no other armed elements in the area of Jenin where Shireen was murdered…
The truth is that the Israeli military killed Shireen according to policies that view all Palestinians – civilian, press or otherwise – as legitimate targets, and we were expecting that an American investigation would focus on finding the responsible parties and holding them accountable… We were hoping that, for example, the FBI or other relevant authorities would open a murder investigation, much like they do in ordinary cases when American citizens are killed abroad…
We will continue to advocate for justice for Shireen, and to hold the Israeli military and government accountable, no matter the attempts to obfuscate the reality of what happened on May 11. We continue to call on the American government to conduct an open, transparent, and thorough investigation of all the facts by independent agencies free from any political consideration or influence.”
* This statement has been shortened due to Instagram’s length restrictions.
@linaabuakleh
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