Israelis targeted Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian probe concludes

Jerusalem, May 26 (EFE).- The bullet that killed Al Jazeera television correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh two weeks ago was fired by an Israeli sniper who knew he was shooting at reporters, the Palestinian National Authority’s attorney general said Thursday.

“The only shooting was by the occupation forces, with the aim of killing,” Akram Al Khatib said in Ramallah, dismissing Israel’s claim that Palestinian gunmen were also discharging weapons at the time of the journalist’s death.

The 51-year-old veteran newswoman was killed May 11 while covering an Israel army raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.

She died from the impact of an armor-piercing 5.56 mm bullet of a type used by NATO forces, the attorney general told a press conference.

“It was clear that one of the occupation forces had fired a bullet that hit journalist Shireen Abu Akleh directly in her head,” Al Khatib said.

Abu Akleh, a Jerusalem-born citizen of the United States, was a household name throughout the region who reported on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for more than 20 years.

Israel’s defense minister, Benny Gantz, rejected the findings of the Palestinians.

“Any claim that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) intentionally targets journalists or those uninvolved (in terror) is a crude and blatant lie,” he said in a statement.

The newly appointed secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein al-Sheikh, said Thursday on Twitter that the copies of the attorney general’s report were provided to Al Jazeera and to the US government, which annually provides more than $3 billion aid to Israel.

The Qatari-based media outlet said that it was preparing a legal brief on the case for submission to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. EFE pd/dr