DUBAI: Four years after Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while reporting in the occupied West Bank, no one has been arrested, charged, or held accountable for her killing.
Abu Akleh was on duty covering an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp when an Israeli sniper targeted and fatally shot her on May 11, 2022. Abu Akleh was wearing a blue flak jacket that was clearly labeled “PRESS.”
Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister at the time, claimed gunfire from Palestinian fighters was the cause of her death and denied any involvement from the Israel Defense Forces.
IDF members attack mourners in East Jerusalem during Abu Akleh's funeral. (AFP)
The IDF responded and said it was “not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire” that killed Abu Akleh and claimed there was “a high possibility that Ms. Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire.”
A seperate investigation conducted by the UN concluded that Abu Akleh was killed - likely deliberately - by Israeli troops. CNN, The New York Times and Al Jazeera all reported this.
Israeli forces later attacked mourners who attended Abu Akleh’s funeral in occupied East Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Red Crescent reported 33 people were injured in the attacks and six were hospitalized.
Abu Akleh’s niece Lina Abu Akleh told Arab News her family was demanding accountability and justice.
Abu Akleh’s niece Lina Abu Akleh told Arab News her family was demanding accountability and justice. (AFP)
“We want the US to provide a public update about the investigation and ensure that there is transparency in the FBI investigation,” she said.
“We call on the sanctioning of the Israeli military unit that killed Shireen and holding the entire system to account. An end to Israel’s impunity is crucial in achieving justice for Shireen.”
The family of Abu Akleh issued a statement on Monday, saying no one has been brought to justice and describing the current situation as a persistent failure to hold anyone accountable.
“The ongoing impunity sends a dangerous message that journalists can be targeted without consequence,” Lina said.
“We have seen that pattern repeated in Gaza and Lebanon for more than two years now … We are deeply disappointed by the lack of meaningful action by the US administration,” she added.
As Abu Akleh was a US citizen, the government had an obligation to pursue accountability with the same urgency as for any other American killed abroad, she explained.
As Abu Akleh was a US citizen, the government had an obligation to pursue accountability with the same urgency as for any other American killed abroad. (AFP)
“The lack of progress in the FBI investigation into Shireen’s killing further demonstrates the government’s failure to deliver justice,” Lina said.
“As a family, we reaffirm today what we have said from the beginning: We will not stop. We will continue to pursue justice for Shireen through all available avenues until those responsible are held accountable,” she said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday called on US authorities to relaunch their investigation into Abu Akleh’s murder.
In a letter to the US Department of Justice, the group demanded a “public progress update” on Abu Akleh’s death.
“Although the FBI reportedly opened an investigation into her killing in November 2022, it has made no demonstrable progress,” the letter noted, adding that CPJ was “not aware that any formal interviews have been conducted with witnesses despite the willingness of multiple witnesses to cooperate.
“This troubling lack of concrete progress — four years after Abu Akleh’s death — represents a profound failure of the US government to respond promptly and impartially to the killing of one of its citizens by a foreign military.”
In a letter to the US Department of Justice, the group demanded a “public progress update” on Abu Akleh’s death. (AFP)
