JERUSALEM: The family of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by an Israeli soldier is praised by a United States decision to open a probe into her death. Abu Akleh was killed while covering an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank on May 11.
Family of Abu Akleh praised US decision and said “This is an important step.” In a statement from the Palestinian-American family of slain journalist Shireen, the family anticipated a “truly independent, credible, and thorough probe.”
The Abu Akleh family in its statement indicated that they had been asking for a US probe “since the beginning”. “It is what the United States should do when a US citizen is killed abroad, especially when they were killed, like Shireen, by a foreign military,” added by Abu Akleh Family.
The veteran Al Jazeera reporter was wearing a bulletproof vest marked “Press” and a helmet when she was shot in the head in the Jenin refugee camp, a historic violent flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Israeli army conceded on September 5 that one of its soldiers had likely shot Abu Akleh after having mistaken her for a militant.
Israeli Defense Minister
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Israel “will not cooperate with an external investigation”. “The decision taken by the US Justice Department to conduct an investigation into the tragic passing of Shireen Abu Akleh, is a mistake. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted a professional, independent investigation, which was presented to American officials with whom the case details were shared,” Gantz added.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has refused to confirm or deny the investigation but Politico reported that the FBI was probing the May 11 shooting.
No Prosecution
The Israeli army counselor said that criminal charges against the soldier likely involved in the shooting were not merited, as an individual was acting in what Israel considered to be an active combat zone
Prime Minister Yair Lapid also rejected suggestions for the prosecution of the soldier involved in the killing of Shireen and “I will not allow an IDF soldier that was protecting himself from terrorist fire to be prosecuted just to receive applause from abroad,” Lapid said in a military ceremony. Last week, Abu Akleh’s family and colleagues told United Nations (UN) investigators that she had been deliberately targeted as part of Israel’s “wide-scale war” on Palestinian media workers, and called for accountability and justice for the slain journalist, one of those killed by Israeli aggression and war.
