Palestine on Thursday officially blamed Israel for deliberately shooting Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 during an Israeli raid in the West Bank town of Jenin. Al Jazeera announced on the same day that it will be referring Akleh’s death to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The probe, based on the Public Prosecutor’s report on Akleh’s death, was officially released by Palestinian Attorney General Akram al-Khatib, who presented a copy of it to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. Khatib said during a press conference that an Israeli sniper fired directly at Akleh’s head while she was trying to escape.
Al Jazeera to refer killing of Shireen Abu Akleh to the International Criminal Court ⬇️
— Amanda Price (@amandaruthprice) May 26, 2022
“The case file will also include the Israeli bombing and total destruction of Al Jazeera’s office in Gaza in May 2021,” per @AlJazeera statement. pic.twitter.com/w8crWCLCcv
He said the bullet used to kill Akleh was a 5.6 mm steel projectile used by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. Khatib added that the bullet was fired from 170-200 metres away by a sniper with a clear line of sight.
Khatib noted that the findings of the report support the claims that Israeli soldiers intentionally fired at Akleh and at anyone who tried to help her. He also notes that the report found no evidence to back Israel’s claims that its forces were fighting armed militias in the area. “The only source of firing was by the occupation forces with the aim to kill,” Khatib said.
The report was rejected by Israel, which said that the PA’s claims are a “blatant lie.” Defence Minister Benny Gantz said, “Despite multiple requests from Israel, the Palestinians refuse to cooperate, which raises the question of whether they really want to uncover the truth.”
The State of Israel offers its condolences following the death of Shireen Abu Akleh. The IDF is conducting an ongoing investigation into the matter in order to reveal the truth. Any claim that the IDF intentionally harms journalists or uninvolved civilians, is a blatant lie.
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) May 26, 2022
“Even today, I call on the Palestinian Authority to hand over the bullet and all their findings. To this day, we are prepared and willing to conduct an investigation in collaboration with international actors,” Gantz added.
“Unilateral investigations and attempts to charge IDF soldiers with war crimes while promoting false assessments such as the one published by CNN, undermine the ability to achieve peace and stability in the region, while ultimately boosting terrorism,” the Defence Minister said.
However, separate findings by both the Associated Press and CNN earlier this week found that the bullet that shot Akleh came from Israeli fire.
The findings came just days after the PA announced that it was submitting a letter to the ICC to conduct an investigation into Akleh’s death. Moreover, Al Jazeera released a statement on Thursday that it has assigned a legal team to refer Akleh’s murder to the ICC.
Thanks to all the media around the world who are taking steps where Israel authorities, and the UN have thus far failed: in investigating the murder of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. @CNN too concludes that #Israel forces are responsible. https://t.co/7opZD6XiKW
— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) May 26, 2022
The network said that “it has formed an international legal coalition that consists of its legal team along with international legal experts,” who are preparing “a complete case dossier” to be submitted to the ICC’s prosecutor.
The case file will also include the May 2021 bombing of its office in Gaza by the Israeli Air Force, Al Jazeera said.
On May 11, Akleh was shot in the head while covering a raid by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in the West Bank despite wearing a press jacket that identified her as a journalist. While Al Jazeera and the PA blamed Israel for killing her, Israeli leaders have instead accused Palestinian militants.
Israel has since conceded that its forces could have shot Akleh but said this could only be confirmed if the PA hand the bullet over to Israeli authorities. However, The PA has so far rejected Israel’s requests. The Attorney General confirmed that the PA has no plans to hand the bullet to Israel.