Jerusalem24– Israeli authorities have officially requested to conduct a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority into the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Hussein Al-Sheikh, leader of the PA’s General Authority of Civil Affairs, announced this morning.
Al-Sheikh serves as the primary contact with Israeli authorities regarding civilian matters in the West Bank.
Al-Sheikh stated that the PA had refused the collaboration and would conduct its own independent investigation. The PA intends to share the results with Abu Akleh’s family, the USA, and Qatar.
#Israel has requested a joint investigation and to be handed over the bullet that assassinated the journalist Shireen, we refused that, and we affirmed that our investigation would be completed independently, https://t.co/CqOiDzxlRd
— حسين الشيخ Hussein Al Sheikh (@HusseinSheikhpl) May 12, 2022
Human Rights organizations including B’Tselem have cast doubt on the credibility of any forthcoming investigation conducted by the Israeli authorities.
“It’s very unlikely that Shireen or the thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel will receive justice,” Salem Barahmeh, the Executive Director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, told Jerusalem24. “Often there’s no investigation. There’s no proper form of accountability or justice.”
