Israel says Palestinians reject joint probe into killing of journalist

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority is refusing to conduct a joint investigation into the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid in the city of Jenin. Another journalist, Ali Al-Samoudi, was shot in the back, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Bennett said that the Palestinians were likely behind the reporter’s killing.
"According to the information in our hands right now, there is a good chance that armed Palestinians, firing wildly, brought about the tragic death of the journalist," Bennett said in a statement.
He also claimed that there were videos showing armed Palestinians opening fire at Israeli forces.
Earlier Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Abu Akleh's killing, saying it was an “assassination" by Israeli forces and held Israel fully responsible for her death.
On Wednesday, the Doha-based Al Jazeera channel accused Israel of deliberately assassinating its reporter “in cold blood.”
It termed the killing as a “heinous crime, which intends to only prevent the media from conducting their duty.”
Abu Akleh was born in Jerusalem, in 1971, and holds a BA in journalism and media from Yarmouk University in Jordan.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar