By Al Jazeera Staff
Wednesday September 7, 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.
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.
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”.
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.
Multiple detailed investigations, including by the United
Nations, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and several media outlets, including
CNN and The Associated Press news agency, 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 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.”
In a statement following Israel’s announcement, the US State
Department again stressed the need for “accountability”, describing Abu Akleh
as a “fearless reporter” who had earned the respect of audiences around the
world.
“We welcome Israel’s review of this tragic incident, and
again underscore the importance of accountability in this case, such as
policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the
future,” the statement said.
Al Jazeera has condemned the Israeli occupation forces’
(IOF) attempt to evade responsibility for Abu Akleh’s killing.
“Al Jazeera Media Network denounces the findings of this
investigation and stresses that this elusive admission is nothing but an
attempt from the IOF to evade the criminal responsibility for the killing of
Shireen, which has been proven by numerous independent and international
investigations,” the Qatar-based TV network said in a statement on Monday.
“The Network demands
that an independent international body investigates the assassination of
Shireen Abu Akleh to achieve justice for her, her family, and fellow
journalists around the world.”
Abu Akleh was a veteran correspondent for Al Jazeera Arabic
TV and a household name in the Arab world. She had 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 shot in
the back at the scene, but he later recovered.
Why?
Al Jazeera and Abu Akleh’s family have referred her killing
to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Luis Moreno Ocampo, a prosecutor at the ICC from 2003 to
2012, told Al Jazeera that with Israel’s report, “it’s very important that
Israel recognises, admits that probably, the bullet came from an Israeli
soldier”.
“Now the next step is to understand why the Israeli soldiers
shot. Even Israel saying, ‘No one was targeting her’ – OK – but why was someone
shooting her? That requires that Israel explains what the soldiers were saying at
that moment,” Ocampo said.
“In addition, I understand Forensic Architecture, a very
well-recognised institution in London is conducting a technical report
analysing the trajectory of the bullet; that’s another piece that we need to
keep pushing for.”
Al Jazeera Media Network earlier described the killing in a
statement as “blatant murder”, saying 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, 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 investigation, saying Abu Akleh was probably killed by
“unintentional” gunfire from Israeli positions. However, it 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).