Israeli military won’t investigate Abu Akleh killing

Jerusalem24– Haaretz – The Israeli military is not planning on investigating the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed on Thursday, on grounds that there is “no suspicion of a criminal act”.

Veteran AlJazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was covering an Israeli raid on Jenin refugee camp last Wednesday at dawn when she was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper, according to the eyewitness accounts of several journalists and residents.

Abu Akleh’s death has been widely covered in international media and has brought fierce condemnation of Israeli policy against Palestinians.

According to Haaretz, Israel’s Military Police Criminal Investigation Division believes an investigation that treats Israeli soldiers as suspects would lead to opposition within Israeli society.

Previous investigations into the killings of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers have led to controversy within Israel, with many Israelis believing soldiers should not be prosecuted for such acts.

Abu Akleh’s family told AlJazeera they were not surprised by the Israeli military potentially not investigating her death: “We were expecting this from the Israeli side. That’s why we didn’t want them to participate in the investigation. We want to hold whoever is responsible for these acts accountable.”