Jerusalem24 – Shireen Abu Akleh’s family has sent a letter to US president Joe Biden, to express “grief, outrage and sense of betrayal” concerning the US administration’s response to the killing of the beloved journalist.
The letter, dated 8 July, is signed by Anton Abu Akleh on behalf of the Abu Akleh family. It describes the US administration’s actions as “an apparent intent to undermine our effort toward justice and accountably for Shireen’s death.”
Last week, the Palestinian Authority handed over the bullet to US authorities, Palestinian Prosecutor General Akram Al-Khatib revealed in a shock announcement.
The bullet was examined in an Israeli laboratory by Israeli experts in the presence of American officials, according to a statement issued by the Israeli army.
After the examination, the US State Department said it “could not come to a definitive conclusion” about the identity of the shooter, but added that US General Michael Finzel had concluded that a bullet fired from the IDF position was “likely to be responsible” for the killing Abu Akleh.
The family accuses Washington of “attempting to erase any mistake made by the Israeli forces” and criticizes the examinations that were conducted on the bullet. They further consider that the handing over of the bullet happened suddenly and without appropriate consultation.
In the letter, the family claims they were misled: “little information has been shared on who oversaw the American “summation” of investigations, who participated in the ballistics assessment, or any specific individual qualifications or findings leading to the conclusions issued by your administration.”
The letter concludes with a demand to meet with President Biden during his visit to the region.
