US envoy in Israel urges ‘thorough’ probe into Abu Akleh killing | Media News

Ambassador Tom Nides ‘encourages’ full investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing amid calls for independent probe.

The United States Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, has called for a “thorough investigation” into the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Abu Akleh was fatally shot by Israeli forces on Wednesday while reporting on Israeli raids in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian authorities and witnesses. Another journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, was also wounded by a bullet in the back. He is now in stable condition.

Nides was the first US official to comment on Abu Akleh’s killing, confirming in a tweet that the 51-year-old was a US and Palestinian citizen, and said he was “sad to learn of her death”.

Very sad to learn of the death of American and Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh of @AJArabic @AJEnglish. I encourage a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death and the injury of at least one other journalist today in Jenin.

– Ambassador Tom Nides (@USAmbIsrael) May 11, 2022

“I encourage a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death and the injury of at least one other journalist today in Jenin,” he said.

The statement comes as calls have grown for an independent investigation into the killing, with rights groups accusing Israel of systematically failing to hold its forces accountable for regularly targeting journalists.

Palestinian authorities have rejected an Israeli offer to conduct a joint investigation.

Israel’s military has said Abu Akleh was shot during an exchange of gunfire and suggested she may have been killed by Palestinian fighters.

Witnesses have rejected that early narrativesaying there was no crossfire at the time of the shooting and that Abu Akleh and other journalists were in an exposed area wearing clearly marked “PRESS” vests when they were attacked.

In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network also called Abu Akleh’s killing a “Blatant murder” that violated “international laws and norms”.

“Al Jazeera holds the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of Shireen,” it said.

Advocates have called on the US government, which calls itself Israel’s greatest friendand other close allies to increase pressure in the wake of the killing.

However, many see a significant shift in relationships unlikely.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mariam Barghouti, a Palestinian writer and researcher, dismissed Nides’s statement as “saving face and symbolism.”

“What that means is absolutely nothing,” she said. “American representatives in Palestine do not safeguard human life, do not safeguard even the lives of their citizens.”

Israel maintains widespread support both within the administration of President Joe Biden and among legislators in the US, although a small group of elected officials have increasingly called for Washington to reassess its relationship.

In particular, critics have called for the US to condition about $ 3.8bn in aid it provides to Israel every year on meeting human rights commitments.