The Israeli military on Monday announced the results of a long-awaited investigation into the fatal shooting of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, saying it was “very likely” that Israeli soldiers had been killed in the last raid on occupied Jordan. She was mistakenly killed in a raid on the west bank of the river. possible.
This is Israel’s closest Accept responsibility for filming. But in a report that appeared to ask as many questions as it tried to answer, the military did not reveal any new evidence to support its claims that Palestinian-American journalists may have been in the fight against Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen Claims of being killed by Palestinian gunmen. It also said no one would be punished for the shooting.
The conclusions are unlikely to quell an issue that has worsened already serious tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.Palestinian officials and Abu Ackley’s family Accused the army of evading responsibility for killing her.
Al Jazeera via The Associated Press
“Our family is not surprised by this result, as it is clear that Israeli war criminals are unable to investigate their own crimes,” her family said in a statement. “However, we remain deeply hurt, frustrated and disappointed.”
Palestinian-American Abu Akleh, 51 Killed while reporting on Israeli raid In the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank on May 11. She has covered the West Bank for 20 years for Al Jazeera and is a well-known face across the Arab world.
In a briefing with reporters, a senior Israeli military official said it was “very likely” that Abu Akler was accidentally shot by an Israeli soldier in an armored vehicle who believed he was targeting an armed man molecular.
“He misidentified her,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity according to military briefing guidelines. “His real-time report… definitely points to a false identification.”
“We know he opened fire, but it is likely that other fires occurred,” he added.
Jenin, known as a bastion of Palestinian militants, has been carrying out attacks in the area almost every night since a series of deadly attacks in Israel earlier this year, some by attackers in the region.
Repeating previous Israeli claims, the military official said soldiers had been firing from multiple directions for nearly an hour before Abu Ackley was shot dead. The military released several videos showing Palestinian militants firing automatic weapons and soldiers being attacked that day.
But the military has provided no evidence to support its claim that a heavy gun battle was taking place when Abu Akler was shot. Amateur video and eyewitness accounts showed no evidence of militants nearby, and the area appeared to be quiet for several minutes before she was shot.
It is unclear how Abu Akler, who was wearing a helmet and vest labelled “News” at the time, was mistaken for a militant. The official said only that the soldier had “very limited visibility” inside the vehicle, causing Abu Akler to be misidentified in a split second.
He said the findings were handed over to the chief military prosecutor, who was satisfied with the findings and decided not to pursue a criminal investigation. That means no one will be charged in her death.
Hisham KK Abu Shaqra/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Critics have long accused the military of not doing a good job of investigating misconduct by its troops. Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has accused the military of “whitewashing”, while Abu Akleh’s family and the Palestinian Authority have called for the case to be referred to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The International Criminal Court has launched an investigation into possible Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.
Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, dismissed the statement, calling it “another attempt by Israel to evade responsibility for her killing.”
All the evidence, he said, was that “Israel was the culprit, it killed Shireen, and must be held accountable for its crimes.”
The Palestinian Authority, Abu Akler’s family and Al Jazeera have accused Israel of deliberately killing Abu Akler, while a series of investigations by international media groups including the Associated Press found Israeli troops likely fired the lethal bullet . America is over An Israeli soldier may have killed her by mistake, but there is no explanation for how it came to that conclusion.
Al Jazeera’s local bureau chief, Walid Al-Omari, said Monday’s report was “clearly designed to circumvent the opening of a criminal investigation”.
The Committee to Protect Journalists called Israel’s findings “late and incomplete”.
“They did not provide the name of Shireen Abu Akl’s killer or any other information other than his or her own testimony to prove the killing,” said Sharif Mansour, the group’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. was a mistake.” “It didn’t provide the answers her family and colleagues deserved — by any measure of transparency or accountability.”
Israel has previously said she was killed in a complex battle with Palestinian militants, and only a forensic analysis of the bullet can confirm whether it was fired by Israeli soldiers or Palestinian militants. However, a U.S.-led analysis of the bullet last July was inconclusive, as investigators said the bullet was badly damaged.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Neders declined to comment when asked at a news conference about the investigation.
The Associated Press’s reconstruction of Abu Akleh’s killing lends support to eyewitness accounts that she was killed by Israeli troops. Subsequent investigations by CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post came to similar conclusions, as did monitoring by the Office of the UN Human Rights Chief.
Twenty years ago, Abu Akleh rose to prominence during the second Palestinian uprising or uprising against Israeli rule. She chronicles the harsh realities of life under Israeli military rule for audiences across the Arab world – now entering its sixth decade with no end in sight.
Israeli police drew widespread criticism around the world when they beat mourners and coffins at her funeral in Jerusalem. An Israeli newspaper reported that a police investigation found misconduct by some of its officers, but said it would not impose severe penalties on those who oversaw the incident.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and built settlements where nearly half a million Israelis live alongside nearly 3 million Palestinians. Palestinians want the territory to be a major part of a future state.
