After journalist’s death
Palestinians reject joint investigations with Israel
Palestinians attend the state funeral for Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh at the presidential residence in Ramallah. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
After the violent death of a reporter well-known in the Arab world, the exact circumstances remain unclear. The Palestinian side rejects cooperation with Israel.
A senior Palestinian official has rejected Israel’s request for a joint investigation into the death of a reporter from Al-Jazeera TV station who was shot dead in the West Bank.
“We have reiterated that our investigation will be completed independently,” Hussein al-Sheikh, aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, wrote on Twitter on Thursday. He also refused to hand over the bullet that killed the journalist to Israel.
The journalist was killed by gunfire during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank on Wednesday. It was initially unclear how the 51-year-old, who is well known in the Arab world, died. She is to be buried in Jerusalem on Friday.
The Israeli army on Wednesday reported a fierce firefight involving dozens of Palestinian militants during a raid in Jenin. Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said it was currently not possible to determine which side was responsible for the deadly shots. Israel’s army had previously announced that the 51-year-old may have been hit by Palestinian bullets. Al-Jazeera, on the other hand, accused Israel of targeted, cold-blooded murder. Palestinian President Abbas also spoke of a “crime of execution”.