US Says Bullet That Killed Al Jazeera Journalist Was Severely Damaged, Came From Israeli Position And Accidentally, Palestine: Unacceptable

Shireen Abu Akleh's funeral. (Wikimedia Commons/Osps7)

JAKARTA - The late Al Jazeera journalist Shiereen Abu Akleh may have been killed by accidental gunfire from an Israeli position, the US State Department said Monday.

Independent investigators were unable to reach a definitive conclusion about the origin of the bullet that hit it, he said.

Sehireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American, was killed on May 11 in an Israeli raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin under conditions that are still fiercely debated.

Palestinian officials criticized the report and said Shireen Abu Akleh was deliberately targeted. Meanwhile, Israel denies this.

One of the most recognizable faces to report on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Abu Akleh's death sparked outrage around the world, especially after police beat mourners at his funeral in Jerusalem.

The US Security Coordinator (USSC), after summarizing investigations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinian Authority, concluded fire from Israeli positions was likely responsible for his death, the State Department said.

"The USSC finds no reason to believe that this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances during the IDF-led military operation against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction," the State Department said in a statement.

The late Shireen Abu Akleh. (Twitter/@ShireenNasri)

In a forensic analysis by a third-party examiner supervised by the USSC, ballistics experts determined the bullet was badly damaged, which prevented a clear conclusion as to its origin, the State Department said.

The report did nothing to ease tensions between the two sides ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit next week.

Separately, Palestinian Attorney General Akram al-Khatib said the US conclusion that the bullet was badly damaged was incorrect and said that Abu Akleh was deliberately targeted.

"America's claim that they found no reason to show that the targeting was intentional is unacceptable," Khatib said.

According to Khatib, the Palestinians will continue to pursue legal action against Israel at the International Criminal Court.

"Israel is responsible for its killing and it must be held accountable," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement.

Israel has denied that any of its soldiers killed Abu Akleh on purpose and claims he may have been hit by the wrong soldier's fire or by a bullet from one of the Palestinian gunmen it says clashed with its troops at the scene.

Last month, the United Nations human rights office said information it could glean from the incident suggested Abu Akleh had been killed by gunfire from the Israeli military and not from the Palestinians.

It said he had stood with other journalists and was clearly identified as a journalist by his helmet and blue flak jacket, which was marked with a press badge when he was shot and killed by a single bullet. A colleague was injured in the incident by another bullet.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Israel regretted Abu Akleh's death, but said an Israeli military investigation had concluded there was no intention to harm him and he gave his full support to the Israel Defense Forces.

The Israeli military said it would continue to investigate the incident and a decision on whether to launch criminal charges would be made after an operational examination.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israeli forces had responded to heavy fire from gunmen in the city, which hosts a crowded refugee camp that has seen regular clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces.

"The first to bear responsibility in such an event, are terrorists operating from population centers," he said in a statement.

That version of events has been rejected by Palestinians, who say there were no armed fighters in the area where Abu Akleh was killed.

"The truth is that the Israeli military killed Shireen in accordance with a policy of viewing all Palestinians - civilian, press or otherwise, as legitimate targets," the family said in a statement.