Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday called the US investigation into the May death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whom the Israeli army is accused of killing, a “mistake.”
According to the US outlet Politico, the federal police (FBI) are investigating the death of Shireen Abu Akleh during an Israeli army operation on May 11.
“A mistake”
An unusual decision given the relations between the two countries, taken after the Israeli army refused to prosecute the soldier accused of killing her. The FBI refused to confirm or deny the existence of this investigation, but Minister Benny Gantz indicated that the military would not cooperate.
“The United States Department of Justice’s decision to investigate the tragic death of Shireen Abu Akleh is incorrect,” he wrote in a tweet.
The Israeli military carried out an “independent and professional” investigation and shared details with US officials, it said.
Journalist shot in the head
“J’ai fait passer le message aux representantes américains que nous nous tenions aux côtés des soldats de l’armée israélienne et que nous ne cooperrons pas avec une enquête externe, et ne permettrons pas d’ingérence dans des enquêtes internes”, added the minister.
Outfitted in a bulletproof vest marked “press” and a helmet, the star Al Jazeera journalist had been shot in the head while covering an Israeli military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
The Israeli army first acknowledged in September that there was a “great possibility” that the journalist was killed by one of its soldiers. The spokesman for US diplomacy, Ned Price, had underlined at the time “the importance of determining the responsibilities in this case” to avoid a repeat of such a tragedy.
But a few days later, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he was opposed to the prosecution of the soldier accused of shooting.
Source: BFM TV
