The United States has launched an investigation into the death of American-Palestinian journalist Shirin abu Akle, who was allegedly killed by Israeli army fire six months ago in the West Bank, Jerusalem has made known, adding that it refuses to cooperate.
Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz called the U.S. initiative a «mistake»: «The decision taken by the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an investigation into the tragic death of Shirin abu Akle is a mistake.
«The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has conducted a professional and independent investigation, which was presented to US officials with whom the details were shared,» he has justified through his profile on the social network Twitter.
«I have sent a message to the American representatives that we stand behind the IDF soldiers, that we will not cooperate with an external investigation and will not allow intervention in internal investigations,» the defense minister has stated.
Israel’s Channel 14 first reported that the U.S. Justice Department notified the Israeli Justice Ministry that it would launch an investigation into Abu Akleh’s death, reports ‘The Jerusalem Post’ newspaper. However, the U.S. Justice Department has not made any public comment or statement at this time.
Washington’s decision represents a change in US policy, as the Biden Administration had insisted for months that it would not open its own investigation, but would rely on the inquiries conducted by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, The Times of Israel reports.
The findings of the investigation also dismantle the narrative that there was armed Palestinian activity in the vicinity of the position where the reporters were, as Israel had claimed at the time. The Israeli army admitted several days later the possibility that the journalist was shot dead by its own forces, but always unintentionally.
The journalist was shot dead on May 11 during an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank while working for the Al Jazeera television channel. The reporter was wearing a helmet and a vest identifying her as a journalist.
«We could never expect any kind of accountability or legitimate investigation from the very entity responsible for gunning down an unarmed and clearly identifiable journalist,» said Abu Akleh’s niece, Lina, in September when the IDF investigation was published.
