Defense Minister Calls Investigation into Israeli Army’s Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh “Internal Affairs”
Israel has said it will cooperate with an FBI investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh through the Israeli military.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz denounced the investigation as “interference in Israel’s internal affairs” and said it “made it clear to US officials that we, IDF [IDF] soldiers, will not cooperate with any investigation. “
“The U. S. Department of Justice’s ruling. investigating the unfortunate death of Shireen Abu Akleh is a grave mistake. The IDF conducted an independent and professional investigation, which was presented to the Americans who shared the details,” Gantz said.
But a resounding refusal to cooperate would complicate relations with Washington and bolster claims that Israel covered up Abu Ackleh’s death while reporting on an army raid on the West Bank city of Jenin in May.
The FBI investigation comes after months of tension from the circle of relatives of the highly reputable Al-Jazeera journalist, who accused Biden’s management of “hiding to erase any wrongdoing through Israeli forces. “The circle of relatives supported through dozens of members of Congress
Abu Ackle’s circle of relatives welcomed the U. S. resolution on Tuesday. “This is a vital step,” said one who expressed hope for a “truly independent, credible and thorough investigation. “Research “from the beginning”.
“This is what America does when an American citizen is killed abroad, especially when he has been killed, like Shireen, by a foreign army. “
News of the investigation was also welcomed by Senator Chris Van Hollen, who harshly criticized Israel’s failure to explain the murder well. Shireen Abu Akleh,” he tweeted.
First, the IDF denied its duty for the assassination of Abu Akleh and pointed the finger at the Palestinian gunmen. But investigations through the United Nations and several news agencies concluded that the journalist was nowhere near Palestinian fire when she was killed, and that Israeli forces were almost in fact responsible. The UN said Israeli foot soldiers fired “several undeniable, well-targeted bullets” at Abu Akleh and other journalists.
In September, the IDF, however, admitted that one of its foot soldiers had probably shot at it, but said there would be no prosecution for criminal because no legislation had been damaged and declared the case closed. The U. S. Department of State The U. S. was willing to leave it at that. that, however, did not ease the political tension in Congress.
Longest-serving Senate member Patrick Leahy questioned the price of Israel’s report on Abu Akleh’s death, noting that there is “a history of investigations into shootings by IDF infantrymen that rarely result in accountability. “
Leahy puts further pressure on Israel by suggesting that its failure to murder the Al-Jazeera journalist could jeopardize the U. S. military’s massive aid to the Jewish state under a law it sponsored 25 years ago, cutting off arms shipments to countries that violate human rights.
Leahy told the Senate that Biden’s management had not responded to calls from members of Congress asking the FBI to investigate Abu Akleh’s death, as is “customary and appropriate after a tragedy like this involving a prominent American killed in questionable circumstances. “
“Unfortunately, there has been no credible investigation,” he said.
Van Hollen rejected the Israeli investigation.
“The core of ‘defense’ in this IDF report is that a soldier ‘retaliates’ against militants” when Abu Aqleh hit, Van Holmen tweeted. “But the investigations . . . They did not discover such shots at the time. This underscores the lack of an independent American investigation into the death of this American journalist.
Nearly a portion of Democratic members of the Senate signed a letter questioning Israel’s claim that Abu Akleh was shot by a soldier. The letter suggests she may have been targeted because she was a journalist.
The Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din also welcomed the US investigation. “Only an independent investigation can lead to the discovery of the truth,” he said.
But Yesh Din added that this only happened because Abu Akleh is an American citizen.
“It is to emphasize that this is an exceptional occasion because this is an American citizen and an outstanding journalist. In most cases (72 percent of court cases filed by Palestinians), the army does not conduct an investigation of criminals. A thorough investigation and a serious investigation is necessary, not just when it comes to a U. S. citizen. “