Ramallah, occupied West Financial institution – Israel has stated that there’s a “excessive chance” that slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was “unintentionally hit” by Israeli military hearth however added that it might not be launching a legal investigation.
Israeli authorities launched on Monday afternoon the outcomes of their very own investigation into the killing. Witnesses, Al Jazeera, and quite a few investigations by the United Nations, human rights teams, and media organisations had all stated that an Israeli soldier killed Abu Akleh.
The Israeli investigation claimed that Israeli troopers had come below hearth from Palestinian fighters on the scene, a declare that has not been corroborated by footage of the incident.
“It’s not attainable to unequivocally decide the supply of the gunfire which hit and killed Ms. Abu Akleh,” the report stated, including that it stays a “chance” that she “was hit by bullets fired by armed Palestinian gunmen”.
“After a complete examination of the incident, and primarily based on all of the findings, the Army Advocate Basic discovered that below the circumstances of the case, there is no such thing as a suspicion of a legal offense that justifies the opening of a Army Police investigation,” the report stated.
In a background briefing for journalists previous to the discharge of the outcomes, senior Israeli military officers stated that they’d met the soldier, and that “if he did it, he did it by mistake”.
In addition they repeatedly stated that they have been “very pleased with the conduct of our troopers,” and that the troopers “have been briefed and acted in keeping with process”.
Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian-American, was shot dead by Israeli forces on May 11, while covering an army raid on Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank.
Multiple detailed investigations including by the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and several media outlets including CNN and the Associated Press (AP), found that Abu Akleh was definitively shot by Israeli fire and that there were no Palestinian fighters at the scene when she was killed.
The journalists who were standing next to her and witnessed the killing also said that 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.
“We will continue to demand that the US government follow through with its stated commitments to accountability.”
Abu Akleh Family Response to Israel’s Statement on Shireen’s Killing
We could never expect any type of accountability or legitimate investigation from the very entity responsible for gunning down an unarmed and clearly identifiable journalist. pic.twitter.com/bTfUqj5KV3
— Lina Abu Akleh (@LinaAbuAkleh) September 5, 2022
Abu Akleh was a veteran Al Jazeera Arabic TV correspondent and a household name in the Arab world who worked with the network for more than 25 years covering Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Her killing caused global outrage and mass calls for an independent investigation, which Israel has refused, choosing instead to conduct its own probe.
Abu Akleh was wearing a clearly marked press vest and helmet, and was standing with other journalists also in their press gear, when she was killed.
Another Al Jazeera journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, was also shot in the back at the scene, but later recovered.
Al Jazeera and Abu Akleh’s family have referred her killing to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Al Jazeera network has described the killing in a statement as “blatant murder” and said that Abu Akleh was “assassinated in cold blood”.
“Al Jazeera holds the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of Shireen,” the network said. “It also calls on the international community to condemn and hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for their intentional targeting and killing of Shireen.”
The United States initially urged for an independent investigation to be conducted, but later said Israel had the “wherewithal and the capabilities to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation”.
On July 4, the US released a statement based on the findings of the Israeli probe, finding that Abu Akleh was likely killed by “unintentional” gunfire from Israeli positions, but said the origin of the bullet that struck her remained “inconclusive,” garnering anger from her family and those following the case.
At least 46 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip since 2000, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS).