The examination of the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has been completed at the US Embassy in Jerusalem and the bullet has been returned to the Palestinian Authority, the Qatar-based news network (Arabic link) reported on Sunday evening.
Palestinian Justice Minister Mohammed al-Shalaldeh told the network that the bullet was returned on Sunday and authorities are now awaiting the results of the analysis, which are expected sometime on Monday, according to the report.
Experts say ballistics analysis could shed definitive light on Abu Akleh’s death. The 51-year-old Palestinian-American veteran correspondent was killed in disputed circumstances in Jenin while covering an Israeli army raid in mid-May along with a team of other journalists.
Chalalde said an independent investigation must now take place “to find out exactly what happened, who is responsible and why”.
Because Abu Akle holds American citizenship, Washington has “the right to request this bullet for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the killing … and we in the Palestinian Authority welcome that,” Shalaldeh said.
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The results are expected on Monday, according to the Al Jazeera report.
The Palestinian Authority has insisted for weeks that it will not hand over the bullet or conduct a joint investigation with Israel. But in the opposite direction, Ramallah transferred the bullet to the American embassy for American review on Saturday night.
It was not clear which country – the US or Israel – was leading the analysis, but Israel said on Sunday that its experts would examine the bullet, disputing Palestinian claims that US experts would carry out the forensic analysis.
A mural of slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Gaza City, May 15, 2022 (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Israeli army spokesman Ran Kochav said Sunday that the review would take place “in the presence of the Americans.”
“The Israeli professional exam will be held in the presence of the Americans. If there is a match between the projectile and the Israeli soldiers’ weapons, we will inform the public,” Kochav told radio 103FM.
Al Jazeera quoted Palestinian sources as saying the analysis was carried out “in the presence of an Israeli expert”. BKP refused to send an expert from their side.
Abu Akle’s death is the subject of dueling investigations by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
During the attack in May, a firefight broke out between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen. At some point, Abu Akle was shot in the head.
The BKP investigation found that she was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers.
Israel initially blamed Palestinian gunmen for the shooting, but later admitted that Abu Akle may also have been killed by Israeli soldiers. Israeli authorities have even identified a gun that may have fired the fatal shot – but say they cannot definitively determine the matter without forensic analysis.
Palestinian Authority Attorney General Akram Al-Khatib, left, and PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, announce the results of the Palestinian investigation into the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank city of Ramallah, May 26. 2022 (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
The bullet was handed over to a senior US military official on Saturday. Palestinian Authority Attorney General Akram al-Khatib said US ballistic experts would examine the projectile, not Israel.
“The bullet that killed Shirin Abu Aqle will not be transferred to the Israeli side,” al-Khatib said in a statement on Saturday night.
But Kochav appeared to dispute those claims on Sunday, telling Army Radio that a US general would oversee the Israeli investigation while the bullet was in Israel.
“This is an Israeli investigation, an Israeli investigation with an American presence. The Palestinians who so graciously passed the bullet did so so that there would be an Israeli investigation with an American presence,” he said.
Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, a veteran Al Jazeera journalist who was shot and killed during clashes between IDF troops and Palestinian gunmen while covering an IDF raid in Jenin on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Courtesy)
Israel has offered to conduct a joint investigation with Ramallah since Abu Akle was shot. Israeli officials said ballistics analysis was needed to match the gun to the bullet to determine whether an Israeli soldier fired the fatal shot.
The AP has repeatedly rejected these offers, as has Abu Akleh’s family. Palestinian officials initially declined to share the round with the United States, saying they would share the results of their own investigation with interested parties.
The US urged Ramallah to share the results of its investigation with Israel to shed potentially definitive light on the incident.
In a public letter in early June, a bipartisan group of 25 US lawmakers urged Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to pressure the PA to drop the bullet.
“We urge you to demand that the Palestinian Authority provide access to the forensic evidence of Abu Akleh’s death for an independent investigation so that all parties can reach a definitive conclusion about the events that led to her death and hold all parties accountable, ” the legislators wrote.
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