Blinken meets with family of slain Al Jazeera journalist

By Vakkas Dogantekin

ANKARA (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with the family of Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran journalist who was shot dead in May while covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the Al Jazeera news outlet.

"Today I met with the family of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whose fearless journalism earned her the respect of audiences around the world. I expressed my deepest condolences and commitment to pursue accountability for her tragic killing," Blinken said on Twitter.

He also shared pictures of the meeting.

Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian-American, was shot dead on May 11 while covering an Israeli military raid near the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

While Palestinian officials and Al Jazeera accused Israel of killing the reporter, Tel Aviv denied any responsibility.

Earlier, the family had harshly criticized the results of an investigation where the US avoided remarks that held Israel responsible for her killing.

"We, the family of Shireen Abu Akleh, write to express our grief, outrage and sense of betrayal concerning your administration’s abject response to the extrajudicial killing of our sister and aunt by Israeli forces on May 11, 2022, while on assignment in the occupied Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank," family members said in a long letter to US President Joe Biden.

It underlined that the journalist, who was also a US citizen, was killed by an Israeli-fired bullet to the head, despite wearing a protective helmet and a blue bulletproof vest that was marked "press.”