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U.S. Accused of “Whitewash” After Clearing Israel of Intentionally Killing Shireen Abu Akleh

HeadlineJul 05, 2022

The Biden administration said Monday the bullet that killed Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh likely came from Israeli military gunfire — but stopped short of saying investigators had reached a “definitive conclusion” in her killing. Abu Akleh was shot in the head on May 11 as she reported for Al Jazeera on an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank — even as she wore a flak jacket and helmet clearly marked ”PRESS.” Palestinian groups and several media organizations, including CNN, The New York Times and Al Jazeera, have determined Abu Akleh was killed by Israel’s military. So has the Israel human rights group B’Tselem, which accused the Biden administration of whitewashing her death. Shireen Abu Akleh’s niece, Lina Abu Akleh, responded to the State Department’s inconclusive findings Monday.

Lina Abu Akleh: “We were expecting that such an investigation would actually hold the perpetrators accountable and would carry out a transparent investigation that is free from any political pressure. However, that was not the case. … We will continue to call for justice. We will continue to call on the U.S. to carry out a transparent investigation by an independent body. In addition, we continue to call on the U.N. and the ICC to carry out an investigation and hold Israel accountable and put an end to this grotesque impunity that Israel continues to enjoy.”

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