Israel Shrugs off Accountability in Murder of Palestinian American Journalist—Shireen Abu Akleh
By: John Mason / Arab America Contributing Writer
Only last week did the Israeli military admit it was ‘highly probable’ an IDF soldier mistakenly killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Over and over, Israeli officials swore that none of the soldiers intended to harm the journalist. They ruled out any criminal investigation or charges against its troops. That is a criminal act in itself. Saying Abu Akleh’s killing was an accident does not let the IDF off the hook. That she was misidentified is preposterous. Or that there were Palestinian gunmen in the area is an outright lie.
Israel Army admits ‘High Probability’ its Soldier killed Abu Akleh
Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was murdered on May 11, 2022. Arab America reported that an Israeli soldier murdered Abu Akleh as she reported on an Israeli arrest raid in Jenin on the West Bank. Many demands were made to investigate her death. Democratic U.S. House members demanded an FBI investigation.
Abu Akleh was one of forty-five journalists killed by Israeli soldiers since 2000. The Israeli Defense Force reported that it was conducting its own inquiry. Arab America earlier reported that the IDF’s probe was not a criminal one. Israel insisted the murder took place during an arrest raid and thus the Army did not consider it a criminal act.
Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority refused to join the IDF in the probe. It said that Israel could not fairly examine the actions of its own members. The PA had initially rejected an Israeli request to turn over the bullet that killed Abu Akleh. News source Haaretz reported, “The Israeli army admitted on Monday that it is ‘highly probable’ Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli soldier.”
Israel’s official probe found that an Israeli soldier “likely mistakenly” shot Abu Akleh. The offending soldier was apparently under fire while peering through his telescopic scope. He then misidentified Abu Akleh as “an armed Palestinian gunman.” IDF officials also said it could not rule out “the possibility that Abu Akleh was killed by Palestinian gunfire.” But it also admitted that it was more likely an Israeli soldier was responsible.
Army’s Assessment— “An Unfortunate Incident” —Doesn’t cut it with Parties inside and outside Israel
The Israeli Army’s Chief of Staff, Aviv Kochavi, called Abu Akleh’s death “an unfortunate incident.” He further noted that the incident occurred “during operational activity to thwart Palestinian terror.” Adding insult to injury, the Israeli Military Advocate General’s Office indicated it would not open an investigation into any soldiers involved in the incident. That Office averred, “there is no suspicion that a criminal offense was committed.”
The Israeli investigation performed all kinds of technical analyses, concluding that “one of the soldiers believed Abu Akleh was part of the armed militants who fired at them, and he shot at her through a telescopic scope.” Over and over, Israeli officials swore that “none of the soldiers intended to harm the journalist.” Clear through all of this justification was the fact that during the shooting, Abu Akleh was wearing a helmet and a vest emblazoned with the word ‘PRESS,’ and was carrying a camera.
Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Knesset made clear their opposition to the facile Army defense of the killing. Deputy Knesset Speaker and head of the Joint List party Ahmad Tibi called for an external investigation. He asserted the Army has no right to “grant automatic immunity to those who shot.”
Further opposition to the official military response came from the left-wing party Meretz. It asserted that the IDF investigation was improperly conducted. Its position is that “Taking responsibility is a moral and value position – and it is our duty to maintain it.”
On the American side, the U.S. Press Club in Washington, D.C. honored Abu Akleh posthumously with the National Press Club President’s Award for her contribution to journalism. Shireen was represented by her niece, Lina Abu Akleh, who accepted the award on the late correspondent’s behalf.
According to Al-Jazeera, Lina pronounced, “It is sad that she was killed by an Israeli sniper while doing her job as a journalist. It is an honor for me to receive this award on her behalf, on behalf of my aunt who was my best friend and my role model and my source of inspiration.”
Fatal Shooting of Abu Akleh deserves Honest Answers
Combat correspondents are not new to reporting violence. They have to take risks as they report on military situations. But when a journalist is killed as a result of unjustified conditions, as was Abu Akleh, more than some IDF pretext is required. As a Washington Post opinion expressed, there is “no justification for shrugging when one dies in unwarranted circumstances.” The Post also noted that human rights groups in Israel and around the world “have long alleged instances in which Israel’s soldiers and police avoid accountability for misdeeds.”
To rule out a criminal investigation of Abu Akleh’s murder is criminal in itself. The Post noted that long after numerous “investigations by international news and human rights organizations found that an Israeli soldier probably fired the shot that killed a highly regarded Palestinian American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, last spring, an Israeli military investigation has reached the same conclusion — but also ruled out any criminal investigation or charges against its troops. That judgment leaves critical questions unanswered.”
Saying Abu Akleh’s killing was an accident does not let the IDF off the hook. That she was misidentified is preposterous. Or that there were Palestinian gunmen in the area is a lie. The Israeli defense apparatus has released little to no investigative details. Furthermore, no evidence from a single Israeli soldier has been released. Withholding of evidence by the military makes their decision to close the case a travesty.
The Post opinion averred that closing the case “should not be the last word on the incident in the West Bank city of Jenin…” It ends its opinion by proposing “A truly independent investigation,” one which should include the American FBI. Seemingly little chance of that happening…
Sources:
“Israeli military admits ‘highly probable’ IDF soldier mistakenly killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,” Haaretz, 9/05/2022
“‘We will bring justice’: US press club honors Shireen Abu Akleh,” Al-Jazeera, 9/01/2022
“In U.S. journalist’s death, Israel leaves questions unanswered,” Washington Post Opinion, 9/8/2022
John Mason, PhD., who focuses on Arab culture, society, and history, is the author of LEFT-HANDED IN AN ISLAMIC WORLD: An Anthropologist’s Journey into the Middle East, New Academia Publishing, 2017. He has taught at the University of Libya, Benghazi, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and the American University in Cairo; John served with the United Nations in Tripoli, Libya, and consulted extensively on socioeconomic and political development for USAID and the World Bank in 65 countries.
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