Not satisfied with the hasty and brief US investigation into the Israeli murder of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, four US senators wrote Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding a more thorough and precise investigation, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
“While we were glad to see the United States Security Coordinator (USSC) involved in an independent forensic analysis of the bullet that killed Ms. Abu Akleh, that hardly constitutes an independent investigation into the overall circumstances of her killing,’ wrote the four Democratic Party Senators Chris Van Hollen, Patrick Leahy, Chris Murphy, and Dick Durbin.
NEW: Democratic Senators Van Hollen, Leahy, Murphy and Durbin press Blinken for answers on the US review of Shireen Abu Akleh's killing.
The US Security Coordinator's review "hardly constitutes an independent investigation." pic.twitter.com/4B1TTkydf8
— Elizabeth Hagedorn (@ElizHagedorn) July 12, 2022
They said that the USSC report presented by State Department spokesman Ned Price on July 5 “does not meet any plausible definition of the ‘independent’ investigation that you and members of Congress have called for. Nor does it provide the transparency that this case demands.”
Therefore, they added, “we write to seek further information regarding how the Administration plans to ensure that an independent, thorough, and transparent investigation is conducted into the shooting death of this American citizen and journalist,” posing 13 questions and demanding answers to them.
23 US senators led by Chris Van Hollen signed letter calling upon President Joe Biden to ensure direct U.S. involvement in the investigation into the shooting death of Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh. pic.twitter.com/o3U7PG7mUl
— #FreePalestine #BDS #Yemen #Kashmir #Assange (@ChristineJameis) June 23, 2022
Abu Akleh was covering an Israeli army assault on Jenin refugee camp in the north of the West Bank on May 11 when she was shot and killed by an Israeli army sniper.
The Palestinian Authority and several other independent organizations, human rights groups and major media outlets had carried out their own investigations into the murder of Abu Akleh and all agreed that she was killed by the Israeli army, some saying the shooting was intentional.
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
