TEL AVIV. It is very likely that the Israeli army hit the al Jazeera reporter “but it cannot be determined with certainty.” The death of Shireen Abu Akleh – the al Jazeera reporter killed on 11 May in Jenin, in the West Bank, during clashes between armed Palestinian soldiers and militiamen – therefore remains without a definitive answer on the responsibilities, at least according to the official investigation conducted by the Israeli army (IDF), which reiterated a thesis already widely anticipated immediately after the events.
But the conclusions were rejected by the Palestinians, who once again blamed “the crime” on Israel. There is “a high possibility”, the investigation established, that the journalist was “accidentally hit” by gunshots from the army, although “it is not possible to unequivocally determine the source” of the shots. And the possibility remains “relevant”, continued the army, that Abu Akleh “was hit by bullets fired by armed Palestinians”. For this reason, the Israeli military prosecutor will not open a criminal investigation against soldiers since “there is no suspicion that a criminal act has taken place” to justify it.
Death of the journalist Al Jazeera: the fire fight filmed by the bodycam of Israeli soldiers
The IDF also recalled that “it should be emphasized and clarified that during the entire incident, the soldiers’ fire was aimed at neutralizing the terrorists who were shooting at the military, even from the area where Shireen Abu Akleh was located”. The investigation – also requested internationally and by the US, given that the reporter also had American citizenship – began in recent months and took place with the review “of the circumstances” of the journalist’s death through a task force, including technical , designated by the Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi.
The investigation listened to “the soldiers involved in the accident” (there is talk of a unit of the Dudvedan battalion), the chronology of events, the noises on the spot, from the area of the accident and in particular from that of the shot. In addition to examining various forensic and ballistic findings and foreign media material, video and audio. An important part, the army recalled, was given to the examination of the bullet that killed the Palestinian journalist. Bullet handed over by the PNA to the US and then to Israel. At the beginning of July a ballistic examination was carried out in a forensic laboratory in the presence of technical representatives of the USA and of the PA itself. But “the poor condition of the bullet” made it “difficult – underlined the IDF – to identify the source from which it was shot”, or rather whether “it was fired or not from a rifle” supplied to the Israeli army. The conclusions were rejected by Ramallah, whose Attorney General accused Israel immediately after the events. And today Nabil Rudeinah, spokesman for Palestinian President Abu Mazen, returned to the attack: «A new attempt by Israel to evade its responsibility for the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh. All the evidence, facts and investigations conducted so far – he has denounced – prove that Israel is responsible for this crime ».