“Israeli occupation forces assassinated our beloved journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while covering their brutality in Jenin this morning. Shireen was [the] most prominent Palestinian journalist and a close friend.” – Husam Zomlot, Palestinian ambassador to UK
Updates on the situation from Al Jazeera below and at source link.
12/5/22 NZ time.
US activists slam ‘impunity’ for Israeli abuse, urge independent probe
Palestinian rights advocates in the United States have called on the Biden administration to demand an independent probe into the killing of Abu Akleh, saying that Israel should not be allowed to investigate itself.
Ahmad Abuznaid, executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, said calls for investigations are “empty gestures” if the probe is to be left for Israel.
“You can’t ask the Israelis to investigate themselves when they’ve been abusing human rights for over 70 years and expect them to arrive at a different result that they’ve been arriving after all these decades,” Abuznaid told Al Jazeera.
Read more here.
US legislators condemn killing of Abu Akleh
Several US lawmakers have condemned the killing of Abu Akleh and called for a probe into the incident.
“Shocking to learn that Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, a 51-year old U.S. citizen, was shot in the face and killed while reporting in the occupied West Bank,” Congresswoman Betty McCollum wrote on Twitter.
“This must be condemned and investigated, and there must be accountability.”
Congressman Mark Pocan called the killing “shameful”.
The killing of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank is shameful and must be investigated immediately. Journalists are vital to helping keep democracies free, and I hope those who are responsible are held accountable. https://t.co/v3ybXINWw5
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) May 11, 2022
Initial probe by Israeli army says Abu Akleh was 150 metres away from troops when shot dead
An initial investigation by the Israeli army has showed that Abu Akleh was about 150 metres away from Israeli forces when she was fatally shot in the head, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
The bullet was 5.56 millimeters in diameter and was shot from an M16 rifle, Haaretz said.
According to the probe, it is “still unclear” whether Akleh was killed by Israeli fire or “Palestinian gunmen”, it said.
Palestinian officials and the Al Jazeera Media Network insist that Abu Akleh was shot by Israeli forces, while other journalists who were at the scene also say she was shot by Israeli fire.
Hundreds protest against Abu Akleh’s killing in Haifa, Nazareth
Some 200 Palestinians have gathered to protest against the killing of Abu Akleh in Haifa and Nazareth in the north, local media reported.
Waving Palestinian flags, they shouted slogans decrying the slain journalist’s killing and held signs that read: “Shireen Abu Akleh’s message will not fall.”
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