Palestinian investigation finds Israeli soldier responsible for Shireen Abu Akleh's death


  • English
  • Arabic

A Palestinian Authority investigation has found an Israeli soldier shot Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in a targeted killing in Jenin on May 11, the group's attorney general said on Thursday.

The findings echoed the results of a preliminary investigation announced nearly two weeks ago and were widely expected. Israel rejected the findings, with its military chief saying: “No soldier fired intentionally at a journalist.”

Abu Akleh, a veteran Palestinian-American reporter for Al Jazeera’s Arabic service, was shot in the head on May 11 during an Israeli military raid in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

Witnesses and Palestinian officials have said she was hit by Israeli fire while Israel says she was shot during a battle between soldiers and Palestinian militants. It says that only a ballistic analysis of the bullet — which is held by the Palestinian Authority — and the soldiers’ guns can determine who fired the fatal shot.

The bullet that killed Abu Akleh is a 5.56mm round with a steel component used by Nato forces, he said and added that the Palestinian Authority will not hand the bullet over to Israel.

Announcing the results of his probe at a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Attorney General Akram Al Khateeb said he had determined there were no militants in the immediate area where Abu Akleh was located.

“The only shooting was by the occupation forces, with the aim of killing,” he said.

In a statement, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz called that conclusion “a blatant lie”.

Abu Akleh was in a group of journalists wearing helmets and protective vests marked “press”.

Mr Al Khateeb accused Israel of shooting Abu Akleh “directly and deliberately” as she tried to escape.

He also repeated the Palestinian position that the bullet will not be handed over to the Israelis for study and that it had been decided not even to show images of the bullet “to deprive [Israel] of a new lie.”

Mr Al Khateeb said his investigation was based on interviews with witnesses, an inspection of the scene and a forensic medical report.

In a speech later on Thursday, Lt Gen Aviv Kohavi said it was impossible to know who fired the bullet and once again called on the Palestinians to co-operate to “get to the bottom” of what happened.

“But there is one thing that can be determined with certainty,” the military chief said. “No soldier fired intentionally at a journalist. We investigated that. We checked it. That is the conclusion. There is no other.”

Israel denies attacking the journalists and has offered two possible scenarios, saying Abu Akleh was either shot by Palestinian militants who were firing recklessly at an Israeli army convoy or that she was hit by Israeli gunfire aimed at a nearby militant.

The military has identified the rifle that may have been used in the latter scenario, but says it needs to test the bullet to make any final determination.

Al Jazeera said on Thursday it will refer the killing to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history

Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)

Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.

 

Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)

A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.

 

Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)

Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.

 

Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)

Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Updated: May 27, 2022, 4:14 AM`