UN Identification Of Israeli Military Commander And Units Believed To Be Responsible For The Death Of Al Jazeera Journalist

Support for Shireen Abu Akleh. (Wikimedia Commons/Yellow)

JAKARTA - A UN commission said it had identified Israeli commanders and military units believed to be responsible for the assassination of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank last year.

Highly respected senior Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead covering a morning attack by Israeli forces targeting militants in Jenin City in May 2022.

The Navi Pillay, chairman of the UN Independent International Research Commission on Palestinian Population Areas, including East Jerusalem and Israel, said on Tuesday the investigation had concluded that Israeli security forces "used lethal force without justification under international human rights law, and intentionally or recklessly violated Shireen Abu Akleh's right to life."

"Based on forensic analysis and testimony from experts, the commission believes the fatal shot was most likely carried out by a soldier from the Israeli Defense Forces Duvdevan unit," he said.

"We didn't name the commander, but we have the information," he said.

In May, the IDF apologized for Abu Akleh's death, after admitting last year there was "most likely" he was shot by Israeli soldiers.

Pillay further said the commission's investigation observed an increase in operations by Israeli forces targeting Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank, with several operations "appearing to involve unnecessary and disproportionate use of force."

He also said Israel was treating massive attacks as military operations rather than law enforcement operations, "which resulted in the implementation of much more permissible and international law-breaking rules."