Lee Heidhues 9.5.2022
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) murdered the Palestinian-American famed journalist on May 11, 2022 – Shireen Abu Akleh.
It was a wanton cold blooded assassination by an Israeli soldier.
For the past four months the Israelis have denied their guilt.
Now the Israelis are saying an Israeli likely murdered Ms. Abu Akleh. The Israelis are calling it a mistake. The Israelis thought she was a Palestinian terrorist.
This is a bold faced lie.
Ms. Abu Akleh was wearing a clearly identifiable PRESS insignia when she was cut down in the prime of her life.
The Israelis say there will be no further investigation and the case, in the minds of the Israeli government, is closed.
It was a war crime and needs to be investigated at the International War Crimes Tribunal.
Excerpted from Al Jazeera – 9.5.2022
Ramallah, Occupied West Bank – Israel has said there is a “high possibility” that slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was “accidentally hit” by Israeli army fire but added that it would not be launching a criminal investigation.
In a background briefing for journalists prior to the release of the results, senior Israeli army officials said they had met the soldier, and that “if he did it, he did it by mistake”.
They also repeatedly said they were “very proud of the conduct of our soldiers” and that the soldiers “were briefed and acted according to procedure”.
The journalists who were standing next to her and witnessed the killing also said no Palestinian fighters were present.
Palestinian witnesses told Al Jazeera’s The Take podcast that they were never contacted by Israel as part of the investigation.
Israel tried to ‘obscure the truth’
In a statement on Monday, Abu Akleh’s family said Israel tried to “obscure the truth and avoid responsibility for killing Shireen Abu Akleh”.
“As expected, Israel has refused to take responsibility for murdering Shireen. Our family is not surprised by this outcome since it’s obvious to anyone the Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes,” the statement read.
Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian American, was shot dead by Israeli forces on May 11, while she was covering an army raid on Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank
Israeli authorities released on Monday afternoon the results of their investigation into the killing. Witnesses, Al Jazeera, and numerous investigations by the United Nations, human rights groups, and media organisations have found that an Israeli soldier shot Abu Akleh.
The Israeli investigation said that its soldiers had come under fire from Palestinian fighters at the scene, a claim that has not been corroborated by footage of the incident.
“It is not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire which hit and killed Ms. Abu Akleh,” the report said, adding that it remains a “possibility” that she “was hit by bullets fired by armed Palestinian gunmen”.
“After a comprehensive examination of the incident, and based on all the findings, the Military Advocate General found that under the circumstances of the case, there is no suspicion of a criminal offense that justifies the opening of a Military Police investigation,” the report said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/5/israel-probe-shireen-abu-akleh
Top photo – Shireen Abu Akleh’s Palestinian sisters mourn for her murder.
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