Palestine rejects 'manipulation' of investigations into journalist’s death

By Awad Rajoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Monday rejected “manipulation” of investigations into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Abu Akleh, 51, 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 her employer Al Jazeera accused Israel of killing the reporter, Tel Aviv denied any responsibility.

On Saturday, the PA said it had handed the bullet that killed Abu Akleh to a US team to conduct a forensic examination.

The US, however, said Monday that there was no "definitive conclusion" on the origin of the bullet. It, however, concluded that the gunfire from the Israeli position was "likely responsible" for the reporter’s death.

“We will not accept under any circumstances the manipulation of the outcomes of Palestinian investigations, and will continue the procedures on her assassination in international courts, particularly the International Criminal Court, since Israel is responsible for her killing and must bear the consequences,” PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said statements cited by the state news agency Wafa.

Abu Rudeineh “deeply regretted” the Israeli government’s disavowal of its responsibilities for the journalist’s death, calling on the US administration to maintain its credibility and hold Israel fully responsible for Abu Akleh’s murder.

On May 26, Palestinian Attorney-General Akram al-Khatib announced that an examination of Abu Akleh’s body confirmed that she was killed by an armor-piercing projectile fired directly at her head by an Israeli sniper.

Several leading media agencies, including Al Jazeera, CNN, Associated Press, Washington Post, and the New York Times, conducted their own investigations, which all came to an end that Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli bullet.

*Writing by Bassel Barakat in Ankara