Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday pledged to seek action against Israel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague over the death of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Speaking at a service in Ramallah, Abbas said he would demand the ICC "punish the criminals" who caused her death.
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The PA held a state service for Abu Akleh, 51, who was killed in an IDF raid in Jenin on Wednesday, at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah. The ceremony was held ahead of the funeral service, slated to take place in east Jerusalem, where the veteran correspondent resided.
All signs indicate Abu Akleh was caught in the crossfire between IDF troops and Palestinian terrorists in the city, an infamous Islamic Jihad stronghold, but it remains unclear who fired the fatal shot.
Video: Reuters
The Qatari TV channel and the PA have accused the Israeli military of "murder." The PA has refused Israel's requests to hold any form of a joint investigation into the matter. "We allow for a joint investigation with Israel because we don't trust it," Abbas declared. "We will go to the ICC over this."
Palestinian Authority Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh confirmed on Thursday that Ramallah will not allow Israel to examine the bullet that killed Abu Akleh – a step critical to determine culpability in her death.
According to al-Sheikh, the investigation will be carried out independently by the PA and the findings will be given to the relevant bodies, including the United States, as Abu Akleh was also an American citizen. Al-Sheikh said the PA believes the journalist was killed by IDF gunfire, while Israel maintains that she was shot by Palestinian terrorists, who fired indiscriminately during the skirmish.
Following Abu Akleh's death, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi ordered a special task force to investigate the incident "using all the means at our disposal to discern the truth." Commando Brigade chief Col. Meni Liberty will lead the investigation, the military said.
On Wednesday night, thousands protested in various locations over Abu Akleh's, blaming Israel for killing her.
Several thousand Palestinians gathered at Al-Jazeera's offices in Ramallah, holding signs with Abu Akleh's picture.
Several hundred people gathered outside her family home in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina. Earlier on Wednesday evening, disturbances were reported in the neighborhood when the police tried to disperse a protest march where some of the protesters were carrying the Palestinian flag.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli defense official said the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories unit had requested the bullet that was found in Abu Akleh's body in order to run a forensic test to determine the source of the gunfire. For the sake of transparency, Israeli officials proposed that Palestinian and American representatives be present during the testing. The PA has refused to cooperate.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price signaled that the Biden administration would not call for an independent investigation into the killing.
"The Israelis have the wherewithal and the capabilities to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation," Price told reporters during a press briefing.
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