Relatives say evidence confirms journalist was ‘deliberately targeted’ and Washington must investigate ‘Israeli war criminals’
BY ASH OBEL
The family of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh this week filed a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding her death.
The family included new evidence in the complaint which they say proves that Israeli soldiers “deliberately targeted” the Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist.
“The evidence is overwhelming. It’s been over four months since Shireen was killed. Our family should not have to wait another day for justice,” the statement read.
“It is obvious that Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes. The United States still has an obligation to investigate and take meaningful action for any of its own citizens. But when an individual state fails to protect its own citizens, it is up to the international community to protect them in their stead,” the statement continued.
The journalist was shot in the head on the morning of May 11 while covering a shootout between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists near the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
While the Israeli army conducted its own investigation and acknowledged that the bullet in question was “in all likelihood” fired by an Israeli weapon, it denies allegations that the journalist was deliberately targeted.
Evidence the Abu Akleh family attached to the ICC request was released on Tuesday by Al-Haq, a Palestinian rights group blacklisted by the Israeli military over its alleged ties to the terrorist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as well as by the London-based research firm Forensic Architecture.
The dossier compiles spatial and audio analyses, drone images, geotagged videos and never-before-seen video footage filmed by another journalist present at the scene.
The Israeli military told The Times of Israel that it rejects the claim that Abu Akleh was intentionally killed and that the new investigation was “biased and misleading.”
The family criticized the IDF’s internal investigation, saying the military “tried to hide the truth and avoid responsibility” for the killing.
Rights groups say it often takes months or years before Israeli investigations into shooting deaths of Palestinians are quietly closed and soldiers are generally rarely held accountable.
In 2021, the ICC declared itself competent to investigate alleged crimes in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, rejected the decision.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this article
