Abu Akleh’s niece tells Al Jazeera her aunt was killed ‘intentionally’ by Israeli forces, disputing US-announced report.
Abu Akleh stands next to a TV camera above the Old City of Jerusalem
[File: Al Jazeera]
By Al Jazeera Staff
Published On 4 Jul 20224 Jul 2022
The niece of Shireen Abu Akleh said her family is “very disappointed” at the US State Department statement that said independent investigators could not reach a definitive conclusion regarding the bullet that killed the Al Jazeera reporter on May 11 but said they remain undeterred in their fight for justice and accountability.
On Monday, the State Department said investigators had found Israeli military gunfire was “likely responsible” for Abu Akleh’s death, but that forensic analysis showed no reason to believe that the shooting was intentional.
“Yes, Shireen was killed intentionally,” said Lina Abu Akleh, the niece of the slain Al Jazeera journalist.
“The entire investigation is disappointing considering the fact we [were] not aware of any of the process; there was no transparency. We were not given enough information regarding the investigation and we found out about it last minute,” she told Al Jazeera from Geneva.
Abu Akleh was shot in the head while covering an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, despite wearing a flak jacket and helmet clearly marked “Press”.
Palestinian officials, international rights groups and media outlets carried out their own independent investigations that concluded that Abu Akleh was killed by the Israeli military.
The United Nations human rights office last month said that information it had gathered showed that the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was fired by Israeli forces. Several witnesses said Israeli forces killed the Palestinian American journalist.
Abu Akleh’s family said that irrespective of the probe’s findings they will continue to fight for justice and accountability for her killing, her niece said.
“It’s very disappointing but at the same time, it’s not discouraging. We will continue to fight for justice. We will continue to fight for accountability and an end to this impunity because this result, that we received today, just adds on to the impunity that Israel enjoys,” she said.
“But we will not be discouraged and we will continue on our path for justice and accountability.”
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that “independent” examiners had undertaken an “extremely detailed forensic analysis” of the bullet that killed Abu Akleh after it was handed over by the Palestinian Authority.
According to the Times of Israel newspaper, Israel examined the bullet in the presence of a US representative.
The State Department said that the bullet was too badly damaged to reach a conclusive determination, and while it was likely fired by Israeli forces, there was “no reason to believe” Abu Akleh was deliberately targeted.
“From day one, Israel has been trying to change the narrative and using the bullet has been one of their many narratives. But this is not the end,” Lina Abu Akleh said.
That the report found the bullet was likely fired by Israeli forces “does provide us with some kind of a cold comfort but that’s not enough,” she said.
“We still continue to call for a transparent and just investigation, and we call on the UN, especially the ICC [International Criminal Court] to handle the case of Shireen with the same enthusiasm it has been showing to Ukraine – as is rightfully so,” she added.
“We still call for accountability. We still call for justice. And for the US to actually carry out an independent investigation, free from any political pressure, and to provide its citizen, Shireen Abu Akleh, the right investigation that she deserves as a [US] citizen.”
Lina Abu Akleh also said that the media and broader civil society had a role to play to ensure that justice is found and those responsible for the killing are held accountable.
“All journalists should also take up their platforms and continue to advocate because Shireen, at the end of the day, was a journalist and she was targeted, and she’s not the first journalist and not the last [that will] be killed by Israeli forces,” she said.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
U.S. ‘insults Shireen’s memory’ by spinning her killing for Israel — Abu Akleh family says
BY PHILIP WEISS
Palestinian Authority Rejects US Conclusion on Reporter’s Death
Fadwa Hodali and Daniel Avis
Mon, July 4, 2022
(Bloomberg) -- The Palestinian Authority rejected the inconclusive findings of a US investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.
The US Statement Department said Monday an American investigation had found the bullet that killed the Al Jazeera television journalist was too badly damaged to offer a definitive conclusion as to who was responsible for her death.
Palestinian Acting Attorney General Akram Hassan Al-Khateeb issued a statement expressing his “surprise” at the findings.
Abu Akleh was shot dead while reporting on an Israeli military operation in the West Bank town of Jenin in May. The Palestinian Authority said Israel killed Abu Akleh. Israel has said Palestinian militants may have been responsible for her death.
The Palestinian Authority released the bullet that killed her last week to Michael Fenzel, the US Security Coordinator responsible for Israel and the Palestinian authority, for investigation.
Gunfire from Israeli army positions was “likely responsible” for Abu Akleh’s death, the US statement said, but the investigators weren’t able to “reach a definitive conclusion regarding the origin of the bullet.”
The US State Department said it found no reason to believe the killing was intentional, “but rather the result of tragic circumstances.”
By Al Jazeera Staff
Published On 4 Jul 20224 Jul 2022
The niece of Shireen Abu Akleh said her family is “very disappointed” at the US State Department statement that said independent investigators could not reach a definitive conclusion regarding the bullet that killed the Al Jazeera reporter on May 11 but said they remain undeterred in their fight for justice and accountability.
On Monday, the State Department said investigators had found Israeli military gunfire was “likely responsible” for Abu Akleh’s death, but that forensic analysis showed no reason to believe that the shooting was intentional.
“Yes, Shireen was killed intentionally,” said Lina Abu Akleh, the niece of the slain Al Jazeera journalist.
“The entire investigation is disappointing considering the fact we [were] not aware of any of the process; there was no transparency. We were not given enough information regarding the investigation and we found out about it last minute,” she told Al Jazeera from Geneva.
Abu Akleh was shot in the head while covering an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, despite wearing a flak jacket and helmet clearly marked “Press”.
Palestinian officials, international rights groups and media outlets carried out their own independent investigations that concluded that Abu Akleh was killed by the Israeli military.
The United Nations human rights office last month said that information it had gathered showed that the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was fired by Israeli forces. Several witnesses said Israeli forces killed the Palestinian American journalist.
Abu Akleh’s family said that irrespective of the probe’s findings they will continue to fight for justice and accountability for her killing, her niece said.
“It’s very disappointing but at the same time, it’s not discouraging. We will continue to fight for justice. We will continue to fight for accountability and an end to this impunity because this result, that we received today, just adds on to the impunity that Israel enjoys,” she said.
“But we will not be discouraged and we will continue on our path for justice and accountability.”
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that “independent” examiners had undertaken an “extremely detailed forensic analysis” of the bullet that killed Abu Akleh after it was handed over by the Palestinian Authority.
According to the Times of Israel newspaper, Israel examined the bullet in the presence of a US representative.
The State Department said that the bullet was too badly damaged to reach a conclusive determination, and while it was likely fired by Israeli forces, there was “no reason to believe” Abu Akleh was deliberately targeted.
“From day one, Israel has been trying to change the narrative and using the bullet has been one of their many narratives. But this is not the end,” Lina Abu Akleh said.
That the report found the bullet was likely fired by Israeli forces “does provide us with some kind of a cold comfort but that’s not enough,” she said.
“We still continue to call for a transparent and just investigation, and we call on the UN, especially the ICC [International Criminal Court] to handle the case of Shireen with the same enthusiasm it has been showing to Ukraine – as is rightfully so,” she added.
“We still call for accountability. We still call for justice. And for the US to actually carry out an independent investigation, free from any political pressure, and to provide its citizen, Shireen Abu Akleh, the right investigation that she deserves as a [US] citizen.”
Lina Abu Akleh also said that the media and broader civil society had a role to play to ensure that justice is found and those responsible for the killing are held accountable.
“All journalists should also take up their platforms and continue to advocate because Shireen, at the end of the day, was a journalist and she was targeted, and she’s not the first journalist and not the last [that will] be killed by Israeli forces,” she said.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
U.S. ‘insults Shireen’s memory’ by spinning her killing for Israel — Abu Akleh family says
BY PHILIP WEISS
MONDOWEISS
PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS HOLD POSTERS DURING A PROTEST AGAINST THE KILLING OF AL JAZEERA JOURNALIST SHIREEN ABU AKLEH, WHO WAS, SHOT DEAD BY ISRAELI TROOPS AS SHE COVERED A RAID ON THE WEST BANK’S JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, IN GAZA CITY ON MAY 11, 2022. PHOTO BY ASHRAF AMRA (C) APA IMAGES
The Biden administration needs to get Israel’s killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh out of the headlines before he goes to Israel and Palestine next month, so today, July 4th, the State Department issued a statement on the killing that is as weasely as they get. We can’t tell anything from the misshapen bullet the Palestinians turned over. Yes it looks like Israel killed the Palestinian American journalist on May 11. But they were fighting terrorists. It was tragic and not intentional.
State’s Ned Price says:
The USSC [U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority] concluded that gunfire from IDF positions was likely responsible for the death of Shireen Abu Akleh. The USSC found no reason to believe that this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad on May 11, 2022, in Jenin, which followed a series of terrorist attacks in Israel.
Shireen Abu Akleh’s family issued a powerful statement in response this morning that calls for an open and transparent investigation, free of “political consideration.
The Abu Akleh family dismisses the State Department findings as an assumptive and irrelevant effort to “spin the narrative” in Israel’s favor, ala a CSI-style test.
The focus on the bullet has always been misplaced and was an attempt by the Israeli side to spin the narrative in its favor, as if this were some kind of police whodunit that could be solved by a CSI-style forensic test. The notion that the American investigators, whose identity is not disclosed in the statement, believe the bullet “likely came from Israeli positions” is cold comfort. We say this in light of the addition of a conclusory pronouncement that the killing was not intentional but rather the result of a purported Israeli counterterrorism raid gone wrong, which is frankly insulting to Shireen’s memory and ignores the history and context of the brutal and violent nature of what is now the longest military occupation in modern history.
The family says the truth is that Israel killed Shireen Abu Akleh under policies that regard all Palestinians as targets.
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, not parsing over barely-relevant details and then assuming good faith on behalf of a recalcitrant and hostile occupying power. In other words, all available evidence suggests that a US citizen was the subject of an extrajudicial killing by a foreign government that receives billions of dollars in American military aid each year to perpetuate a prolonged and entrenched military occupation of millions of Palestinians.
Palestinians had been urged by the U.S. to turn the bullet over for testing. The examination of the bullet included Israeli officials and was apparently held at the U.S. Embassy. The New York Times toes the official line, it says, Biden is about to visit and he doesn’t want the matter to “overshadow” his trip. Any more than the Jamal Khashoggi murder when Biden goes to Saudi Arabia.
This whole thing is a charade. Israel knows who shot that bullet and the shooter’s motivation and they are not turning over that evidence. And the U.S. is now doing Israel’s bidding to try to make the matter go away. As the Abu Akleh family says, this statement does nothing to dispel the possibility that Israel targeted Shireen Abu Akleh that morning. A tight group of bullets were fired near her head. These were not ricochet bullets.
Journalists should be demanding that Israel produce its evidence in the case. They should be publicizing the family’s demand:
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.
Israel is not happy with the U.S. conclusion that the bullet “likely” came from an Israeli soldier, as everyone has already told us. It wants zero responsibility for the killing even as it refuses to release information. Writes Jeet Heer: “The State Department went about as far as possible to whitewash this horrific killing & that’s still not good enough for Israel’s government, which wants nothing less than a complete lie.”
h/t Dave Reed.
The Biden administration needs to get Israel’s killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh out of the headlines before he goes to Israel and Palestine next month, so today, July 4th, the State Department issued a statement on the killing that is as weasely as they get. We can’t tell anything from the misshapen bullet the Palestinians turned over. Yes it looks like Israel killed the Palestinian American journalist on May 11. But they were fighting terrorists. It was tragic and not intentional.
State’s Ned Price says:
The USSC [U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority] concluded that gunfire from IDF positions was likely responsible for the death of Shireen Abu Akleh. The USSC found no reason to believe that this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad on May 11, 2022, in Jenin, which followed a series of terrorist attacks in Israel.
Shireen Abu Akleh’s family issued a powerful statement in response this morning that calls for an open and transparent investigation, free of “political consideration.
The Abu Akleh family dismisses the State Department findings as an assumptive and irrelevant effort to “spin the narrative” in Israel’s favor, ala a CSI-style test.
The focus on the bullet has always been misplaced and was an attempt by the Israeli side to spin the narrative in its favor, as if this were some kind of police whodunit that could be solved by a CSI-style forensic test. The notion that the American investigators, whose identity is not disclosed in the statement, believe the bullet “likely came from Israeli positions” is cold comfort. We say this in light of the addition of a conclusory pronouncement that the killing was not intentional but rather the result of a purported Israeli counterterrorism raid gone wrong, which is frankly insulting to Shireen’s memory and ignores the history and context of the brutal and violent nature of what is now the longest military occupation in modern history.
The family says the truth is that Israel killed Shireen Abu Akleh under policies that regard all Palestinians as targets.
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, not parsing over barely-relevant details and then assuming good faith on behalf of a recalcitrant and hostile occupying power. In other words, all available evidence suggests that a US citizen was the subject of an extrajudicial killing by a foreign government that receives billions of dollars in American military aid each year to perpetuate a prolonged and entrenched military occupation of millions of Palestinians.
Palestinians had been urged by the U.S. to turn the bullet over for testing. The examination of the bullet included Israeli officials and was apparently held at the U.S. Embassy. The New York Times toes the official line, it says, Biden is about to visit and he doesn’t want the matter to “overshadow” his trip. Any more than the Jamal Khashoggi murder when Biden goes to Saudi Arabia.
This whole thing is a charade. Israel knows who shot that bullet and the shooter’s motivation and they are not turning over that evidence. And the U.S. is now doing Israel’s bidding to try to make the matter go away. As the Abu Akleh family says, this statement does nothing to dispel the possibility that Israel targeted Shireen Abu Akleh that morning. A tight group of bullets were fired near her head. These were not ricochet bullets.
Journalists should be demanding that Israel produce its evidence in the case. They should be publicizing the family’s demand:
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.
Israel is not happy with the U.S. conclusion that the bullet “likely” came from an Israeli soldier, as everyone has already told us. It wants zero responsibility for the killing even as it refuses to release information. Writes Jeet Heer: “The State Department went about as far as possible to whitewash this horrific killing & that’s still not good enough for Israel’s government, which wants nothing less than a complete lie.”
h/t Dave Reed.
Palestinian Authority Rejects US Conclusion on Reporter’s Death
Fadwa Hodali and Daniel Avis
Mon, July 4, 2022
(Bloomberg) -- The Palestinian Authority rejected the inconclusive findings of a US investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.
The US Statement Department said Monday an American investigation had found the bullet that killed the Al Jazeera television journalist was too badly damaged to offer a definitive conclusion as to who was responsible for her death.
Palestinian Acting Attorney General Akram Hassan Al-Khateeb issued a statement expressing his “surprise” at the findings.
Abu Akleh was shot dead while reporting on an Israeli military operation in the West Bank town of Jenin in May. The Palestinian Authority said Israel killed Abu Akleh. Israel has said Palestinian militants may have been responsible for her death.
The Palestinian Authority released the bullet that killed her last week to Michael Fenzel, the US Security Coordinator responsible for Israel and the Palestinian authority, for investigation.
Gunfire from Israeli army positions was “likely responsible” for Abu Akleh’s death, the US statement said, but the investigators weren’t able to “reach a definitive conclusion regarding the origin of the bullet.”
The US State Department said it found no reason to believe the killing was intentional, “but rather the result of tragic circumstances.”
RAMALLAH, Monday, July 4, 2022 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said today that the report of the American experts on the killing of the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by the Israeli occupation forces is biased and unprofessional.
In a statement, the syndicate said "the experts deviated from their professional role to come up with a political security report aimed at evading Israel's responsibility for targeting Shireen Abu Akleh and her deliberate assassination so that the occupation would not be held accountable for its crime against a Palestinian journalist, in addition to being an American citizen."
It explained that the US report legitimizes the killing of Palestinian journalists and justifies Israel's crimes against journalists, considering it as very dangerous because it cancels international protection for Palestinian journalists working in the Palestinian territories.
It affirmed its confidence in the report of the Palestinian Attorney General in the case of the assassination of Abu Akleh as well as the United Nations report and a number of important international media investigations, including prominent American media organizations, as well as eyewitnesses' testimonies who confirmed the assassination of Abu Akleh by the Israeli occupation forces.
The syndicate noted that it is proceeding to the end with the partners, led by the International Federation of Journalists, in its judicial procedures at the International Criminal Court against the Israeli army commanders, its government and the perpetrators of the crime so that they receive their punishment in accordance with international law.
A.D./T.R.
‘US-backed Israeli whitewash’: Abu Akleh probe sparks anger
US State Department says investigation could not conclusively determine origin of the bullet that killed the journalist.
Published On 4 Jul 2022
Palestinian officials, human rights advocates, and the family of Shireen Abu Akleh have reacted with anger and condemnation to a report announced by the US State Department that failed to conclusively find that the Al Jazeera journalist was killed by deliberate Israeli gunfire.
On Monday, the US State Department said a report by independent investigators had found that Abu Akleh was likely killed by “unintentional” gunfire from Israeli positions, but could not reach a definitive conclusion about the origin of the bullet that struck her.
Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera journalist and a Palestinian American, was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, despite wearing a helmet and flak jacket clearly marked “PRESS”.
Prior investigations by The Associated Press news agency, broadcaster CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post newspapers, as well as monitoring conducted by the Office of the UN human rights chief have lent support to witness accounts that Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces.
On Saturday, Palestinian officials said they had handed the bullet over to US officials but conflicting reports over who would conduct the tests on the bullet emerged the following day – with an Israeli military spokesman saying the Israelis would test the bullet in the presence of US officials. Palestinian officials maintain that Israel cannot be trusted to conduct a fair and transparent investigation into the killing.
Here are the reactions so far to the report:
Abu Akleh’s family
In a lengthy statement, Abu Akleh’s family said they were disappointed by how the investigation was conducted, as well as with its conclusions but pledged to keep fighting for justice.
“We are incredulous,” the family said in a statement published on social media.
“To say that this investigation, with its total lack of transparency, undefined goals, and support for Israel’s overall position is a disappointment would be an understatement,” her family said.
Palestine Liberation Organization
Wasel Abu Yousef, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, accused the US of protecting Israel.
“The truth is clear but the US administration continues to stall in announcing it,” Abu Youssef told the Reuters news agency. “We say Israel killed Shireen Abu Akleh and it has to be held responsible for the crime it has committed.”
Israeli prime minister
Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that an internal Israeli army investigation had found that there was no intention to harm Abu Akleh.
“The [Israeli military] investigation was unable to determine who is responsible for the tragic death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, but it was able to determine conclusively that there was no intention to harm her. Israel expresses sorrow over her death,” Lapid said in a statement on Monday.
B’tselem
B’tselem, an Israeli human rights group, called the investigation a “US-backed Israeli whitewash”.
“All investigations published so far conclude that Israel is responsible for the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,” the group said in a tweet on Monday.
Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International
Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard said the killing of Abu Akleh must be investigated as an act of “excessive use of force”.
Callamard also said that while intention matters, “its possible absence does not absolve Israel of its responsibilities”.
“And #Israel must be held accountable. Justice must be delivered,” she tweeted. “Journalists must be protected when doing their work. Not a target.”
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
US State Department says investigation could not conclusively determine origin of the bullet that killed the journalist.
Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera journalist, was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank
[File: Majdi Mohammed/AP Photo]
Published On 4 Jul 2022
Palestinian officials, human rights advocates, and the family of Shireen Abu Akleh have reacted with anger and condemnation to a report announced by the US State Department that failed to conclusively find that the Al Jazeera journalist was killed by deliberate Israeli gunfire.
On Monday, the US State Department said a report by independent investigators had found that Abu Akleh was likely killed by “unintentional” gunfire from Israeli positions, but could not reach a definitive conclusion about the origin of the bullet that struck her.
Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera journalist and a Palestinian American, was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, despite wearing a helmet and flak jacket clearly marked “PRESS”.
Prior investigations by The Associated Press news agency, broadcaster CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post newspapers, as well as monitoring conducted by the Office of the UN human rights chief have lent support to witness accounts that Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces.
On Saturday, Palestinian officials said they had handed the bullet over to US officials but conflicting reports over who would conduct the tests on the bullet emerged the following day – with an Israeli military spokesman saying the Israelis would test the bullet in the presence of US officials. Palestinian officials maintain that Israel cannot be trusted to conduct a fair and transparent investigation into the killing.
Here are the reactions so far to the report:
Abu Akleh’s family
In a lengthy statement, Abu Akleh’s family said they were disappointed by how the investigation was conducted, as well as with its conclusions but pledged to keep fighting for justice.
“We are incredulous,” the family said in a statement published on social media.
“To say that this investigation, with its total lack of transparency, undefined goals, and support for Israel’s overall position is a disappointment would be an understatement,” her family said.
The Palestinian Authority
(PA) denounced the findings and called on the US to hold Israel accountable for Abu Akleh’s killing.
“We express our regret that the Israeli government has evaded its responsibilities towards the assassination of Abu Akleh,” PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said, according to the Wafa news agency.
“We call on the US administration to maintain its credibility and to hold Israel fully responsible for the murder of the martyr Abu Akleh, because the Palestinian and international facts confirm the responsibility of the Israeli army without any doubt,” Rudeineh said.
“We express our regret that the Israeli government has evaded its responsibilities towards the assassination of Abu Akleh,” PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said, according to the Wafa news agency.
“We call on the US administration to maintain its credibility and to hold Israel fully responsible for the murder of the martyr Abu Akleh, because the Palestinian and international facts confirm the responsibility of the Israeli army without any doubt,” Rudeineh said.
Palestine Liberation Organization
Wasel Abu Yousef, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, accused the US of protecting Israel.
“The truth is clear but the US administration continues to stall in announcing it,” Abu Youssef told the Reuters news agency. “We say Israel killed Shireen Abu Akleh and it has to be held responsible for the crime it has committed.”
Israeli prime minister
Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that an internal Israeli army investigation had found that there was no intention to harm Abu Akleh.
“The [Israeli military] investigation was unable to determine who is responsible for the tragic death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, but it was able to determine conclusively that there was no intention to harm her. Israel expresses sorrow over her death,” Lapid said in a statement on Monday.
B’tselem
B’tselem, an Israeli human rights group, called the investigation a “US-backed Israeli whitewash”.
“All investigations published so far conclude that Israel is responsible for the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,” the group said in a tweet on Monday.
Mai El-Sadany, human rights lawyer
Mai El-Sadany, a human rights lawyer based in Washington, DC, denounced the findings, calling them “shameful”.
“Words matter,” El-Sadany said in a tweet. “Shameful US State Department statement today on the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh which facilitates erasure & impunity with vagueness & distractions – in the face of independent reporting which has already made clear findings, including presence of no militants near Abu Akleh.”
Mai El-Sadany, a human rights lawyer based in Washington, DC, denounced the findings, calling them “shameful”.
“Words matter,” El-Sadany said in a tweet. “Shameful US State Department statement today on the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh which facilitates erasure & impunity with vagueness & distractions – in the face of independent reporting which has already made clear findings, including presence of no militants near Abu Akleh.”
Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian politician
Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi also slammed the report as “disgraceful”.
“Many independent international investigations have concluded that Shireen was killed by an Israeli sniper. Once again, Israeli evasive tactics & lies + American collusion & cover-up combine to maintain Israel’s impunity,” she wrote on Twitter.
Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi also slammed the report as “disgraceful”.
“Many independent international investigations have concluded that Shireen was killed by an Israeli sniper. Once again, Israeli evasive tactics & lies + American collusion & cover-up combine to maintain Israel’s impunity,” she wrote on Twitter.
Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International
Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard said the killing of Abu Akleh must be investigated as an act of “excessive use of force”.
Callamard also said that while intention matters, “its possible absence does not absolve Israel of its responsibilities”.
“And #Israel must be held accountable. Justice must be delivered,” she tweeted. “Journalists must be protected when doing their work. Not a target.”
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
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