Abu Akleh family: Biden 'skulking toward erasure' of Israeli wrongdoing

The family of assassinated Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has accused US President Joe Biden administration of “skulking toward the erasure of any wrongdoing by Israeli forces”, after the US Department of State said the killing was unintentional and Israeli military gunfire was “likely responsible” for her death.

“We, the family of Shireen Abu Akleh, write to express our grief, outrage and sense of betrayal concerning your administration’s abject response to the extrajudicial killing of our sister and aunt by Israeli forces on May 11, 2022, while on assignment in the occupied Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank,” the family said in a letter, which was also addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“Your administration has thoroughly failed to meet the bare minimum expectation held by a grieving family - to ensure a prompt, thorough, credible, impartial, independent, effective and transparent investigation that leads to true justice and accountability for Shireen's killing,” the letter added.

“Meet with us during your upcoming visit [to the Israeli-occupied territories next week] and hear directly from us about our concerns and demands for justice,” it also read.

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The veteran journalist for the Qatar-based and Arabic-language Al Jazeera television news network was killed by Israeli forces on May 11 while on assignment covering an Israeli incursion in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. She was wearing a flak jacket and helmet clearly marked “PRESS” at the time.

Palestinian officials, international rights groups and media outlets carried out independent investigations since the journalist was shot dead, and concluded that Abu Akleh was killed by the Israeli military.

Abu Akleh's family has also called on the Biden administration to provide them with all of the information they had access to during their review of the investigations.

“Provide us with all of the information gathered by your administration to date concerning Shireen’s killings, including any evidence reviewed and assessed by US officials, the identities and qualifications of all individuals present during the latest review of evidence, any forensics reports or other information that has not been provided to us or our legal team,” the family wrote.

“We reaffirm these demands on behalf of our beloved Shireen as your administration's actions to date have not only fallen woefully short of 'full accountability' but they amount to express acceptance for Shireen’s killing,” the letter said.

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The Israeli human rights group B

“Your administration's actions can only be seen as an attempt to erase the extrajudicial killing of Shireen and further entrench the systemic impunity enjoyed by Israeli forces and officials for unlawfully killing Palestinians,” the family pointed out.

A London-based law firm representing the family has made the request for information about Abu Akleh’s death. Earlier this week, it requested access to the bullet that killed her.

On Monday, the US Department of State asserted that independent investigators could “not reach a definitive conclusion” regarding the origin of the bullet that killed the distinguished Palestinian, and simply said Israeli shot was "likely responsible" for her death.

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A senior member of the PLO accuses the US of protecting Israel over the killing of veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

It further claimed that the bullet has been too damaged to be able to conduct a conclusive forensic analysis.

Palestinian activists have censured Israeli authorities for spinning the narrative around what happened and framing the investigation into the death of Abu Akleh around the bullet, rather than seeking actual accountability.

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