clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

B’Tselem: Israel narrative about killing Shireen Abu Akleh ‘untrue’

Israel changes its story over the killing of Palestinian journalist as pressure mounts

May 12, 2022 at 9:36 am

The Israeli army’s narrative about the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is “untrue”, the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B’Tselem) said yesterday.

“This morning, B’Tselem’s field researcher in Jenin documented the exact locations in which the Palestinian gunman depicted in a video distributed by the Israeli army, fired, as well as the exact location in which Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed,” B’Tselem tweeted.

It reiterated: “Documentation of Palestinian gunfire distributed by Israeli military cannot be the gunfire that killed Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.”

B’Tselem spokesman, Karim Jobran, told Anadolu that the location appeared in the video distributed by the Israeli officials is far from the location where Abu Akleh was killed.

Jobran said that B’Tselem has conducted an initial investigation, and will conduct a thorough one soon.

“The information we have,” he said, “proves that the Israeli army’s narrative is untrue.”

READ: Will the world seek justice for Shireen Abu Akleh and stop Israel killing more Palestinians?

“No one should believe the Israeli promises to quote-unquote investigate what has happened because the promise of investigations are nothing but the first step in Israel’s organized whitewash,” said Hagai El Ad, executive director of B’Tselem.

“Israel is unable and unwilling to conduct such investigations which opens the door to international legal responsibility.”

Israel yesterday assassinated Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while she was cover the occupation army’s storming of Jenin refugee camp. Abu Akleh was wearing a flak jacket clearly displaying the word ‘press’ and has a helmet on, however a sniper bullet entered her head from her ear, killing her. Colleagues around her were also shot at when they tried to rescue her at the scene.

The United Nations, US, UK and EU have called for a thorough investigation into 51-year-old’s death.