Death of Shireen Abu Akleh: the US State Department says the journalist was “probably” killed from an Israeli position – Le Monde

The tree at the foot of which Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on May 11, 2022, marked with yellow adhesive tape at the bullet holes, was transformed into a memorial on May 19, 2022, in the occupied West Bank. MAJDI MOHAMMED / AP American-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, killed on May 11 in the occupied West Bank, was “likely” the victim of a shot from an Israeli position, according to an American analysis made public Monday July 4 by the Department of ‘State. However, experts have “no reason” to believe that it was an intentional shooting. The study could not reach a definitive conclusion as to the origin of the bullet that killed the correspondent of Al-Jazeera, who was covering an Israeli military operation that day in Jenin, the projectile being “very damaged “, specifies the press release. The death of Ms. Abu Akleh, a highly valued and recognized journalist for the Qatari channel, shook the Middle East. Both the Palestinian Authority and Al-Jazeera and Qatar (the country that finances the television channel) immediately accused the Israeli army of having killed her. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers The fatal bullet to journalist Shireen Abu Akleh under examination by the Israelis and the Americans Following the publication of the press release, the Minister of Civil Affairs of the Palestinian Authority, Hussein Al -Sheikh, said: “We do not accept attempts to hide the truth and we are not afraid to accuse Israel (…), which bears responsibility for the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh. The journalist’s family said they were “appalled”. The Israeli army claims to have examined the bullet Ramallah, which refused to hand over the projectile to the Israeli army, had finally entrusted it to the Americans for expertise, the latter having undertaken to return it to the Palestinians. But on Monday, the Israeli army said it had conducted a “ballistic examination” of the bullet itself – 5.56 millimeter caliber and fired by a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle, according to the Palestinian prosecutor – in the presence of “American security officials”. On Sunday, a Palestinian official asked Agence France-Presse (AFP), on condition of anonymity, about the possibility of “trusting the Americans”, given that Israel could examine the ball entrusted in the USA. Israel continues to claim that it is impossible to know the exact origin of the shooting, Israeli or Palestinian, and always excludes a deliberate shooting. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded, on June 24, that the Israeli army was responsible; an investigation dismissed as “baseless” by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. For their analysis, the American authorities say they have had, in recent weeks, “full access” to the investigations of the Israeli forces and the Palestinian Authority. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh: Israel still rules out the opening of a criminal investigation “The United States (…) continues to encourage cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in this important matter” and “urge that accounts be rendered” in the matter, added the spokesman for the American diplomacy, Ned Price, Monday. These latest developments come less than ten days before US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, as part of his first tour of the Middle East since joining the White House. . The World with AFP