Palestine rejects Israel's request for joint probe into Al Jazeera reporter's killing

By Awad al-Rujoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinian Authority (PA) rejected an Israeli request for a joint investigation into the killing of senior Al Jazeera journalist, a Palestinian official said on Thursday.

“Israel has requested a joint investigation and to be handed over the bullet that assassinated journalist Shireen, we refused that,” senior PA official Hussein Al-Sheikh said on Twitter.

Abu Akleh, 51, was shot in the head by the Israeli army while covering a military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The PA will carry out its own investigation "independently," said Al-Sheikh, adding that it will "inform her family, the US, Qatar, and all official authorities and the public of the results of the investigation."

"All of the indicators, the evidence, and the witnesses confirm her assassination by Israeli special units," he added.

Israel’s defense minister on Wednesday said Israel had requested a joint probe with the Palestinian Authority into the journalist’s killing.

"Unfortunately, we do not have a way to conduct a forensic investigation, so we appealed to the Palestinians to give us the bullet (to conduct a ballistic analysis)," Gantz told reporters.

Palestinian officials and the Doha-based network said the journalist was killed by Israeli forces while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar