FBI launches investigation into killing of Palestinian Shireen Abu Akleh

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The United States has informed Israel that it has decided to investigate the killing of Palestinian Shireen Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist killed in May while reporting on an Israeli military operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

According to initial reports, the investigation will be led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Israeli media reported today.

Such a decision is a major blow to the Government of Israel and law enforcement and is seen as a lack of confidence in Israel's ability to conduct its own investigation into the killing.

The result of the US investigation could be demands to investigate and prosecute Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli side initially claimed that the journalist was caught in crossfire and killed by Palestinian extremists.

In September, an Israeli military report was released stating that she was likely killed by a bullet mistakenly fired by an Israeli soldier. The Palestinian Authority claimed the victim was deliberately targeted.

When she was killed during clashes between armed Palestinians and soldiers that broke out when soldiers entered the camp, the 51-year-old journalist was wearing a protective vest marked "Press" and a helmet.

The US decision came after months of announcements that a US investigation would be opened under strong pressure from the Abu Akleh family, which had US citizenship, and Democratic Party members of Congress.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz called the decision to launch a US investigation a "serious mistake."

He noted that the Israeli military had conducted its own investigation and provided the findings to the administration of US President Joseph Biden.

"I made it clear to American officials that we stand by IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers and will not cooperate with any foreign investigation and will not allow interference in Israel's internal affairs," Gantz posted on Twitter.

The journalist's family said today that the opening of a US investigation into her death is an "important step," reported Agence France-Presse.

"It is an important step towards accountability and brings our family one step closer to justice for Shireen," the family said on Twitter, adding that US authorities have a responsibility to conduct an investigation when a US citizen is killed abroad, especially in the case of Shireen, who was killed by a foreign army.

Agence France-Presse notes that the decision for a US investigation is unusual given US relations with Israel.

The decision was made after the Israeli military refused to prosecute a soldier suspected of killing the longtime Al Jazeera journalist, well known in the Arab world.