Palestinians welcome foreign help in reporter’s death probe
Abbas renews accusations that Israel is behind the killing; Spain slams ‘disproportionate use of violence by police;’ man dies of wounds from Aqsa clashes
The Palestinian Authority (PA) said on Saturday it would welcome international support in the inquiry into the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist, while Israel said it would investigate an eruption of violence at her funeral.
Israeli police charged at a crowd of Palestinian mourners carrying the coffin of Abu Akleh through Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday, drawing international condemnation.
The violence added to Palestinian outrage over Abu Akleh’s killing, which has threatened to fuel tensions that have escalated since March.
Palestinian authorities have described the death of Abu Akleh, who was covering an Israeli raid in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as an assassination by Israeli forces.
Israel initially suggested Palestinian fire might have been to blame, but officials have since said they could not rule out that Israeli gunfire killed her.
Israel’s Internal Security Minister Omer Barlev said that he and the police commissioner had appointed a panel to carry out “a comprehensive investigation of what happened during the funeral, in order to learn lessons from the event.”
They had coordinated funeral arrangements with the journalist’s family but “rioters tried to sabotage the ceremony and harm the police,” a police statement said.
“As with any operational incident, and certainly an incident in which police officers were exposed to violence by rioters and in which force was subsequently used by the police, the Israel Police will be looking into the events that ensued during the funeral,” it added. Findings will be presented in the coming days. In Ramallah in the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas renewed accusations that Israel was behind the killing.
“Israel will not be a partner in any investigation related to the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh because of its responsibility for the crime,” he said on Saturday.
Abbas awarded her a posthumous medal at a ceremony in Ramallah on Saturday.
The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the killing and called for an “immediate, thorough, transparent, and fair and impartial investigation.”
Hussein Al Sheikh, a senior PA official, said on Twiter the authority would welcome the participation of international bodies in its inquiry, though it has rejected an offer from Israel, which has voiced regret over Akleh’s death, to cooperate in the investigation.
At a hospital in Jerusalem, a Palestinian died on Saturday of wounds inflicted during clashes with Israeli security forces three weeks ago at the Al Aqsa mosque compound.
It was the first fatality from clashes at the sensitive holy site in several years.
The latest condemnation came on Saturday when Spain’s foreign ministry, in a tweet, called “totally unacceptable” the scenes showing “disproportionate use of violence by the Israeli police” at the funeral.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed deep shock “that the funeral ceremony could not be held in peace and dignity.”
Thefoundationoflatesouthafricanarchbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, said the police “atacking pallbearers” was “chillingly reminiscent of the brutality” during funerals of anti-apartheid activists.
On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was “deeply troubled to see the images of Israeli police intruding into her funeral procession.”
The European Union condemned what it said was “unnecessary force” by the officers.
The Palestinian public prosecution said an initial probe showed “the only origin of the shooting was the Israeli occupation forces.”
Qatar-based Al Jazeera said Israel killed its reporter “deliberately” and “in cold blood.”
Friday’s violence came as the body of Abu Akleh, a Christian, let St Joseph’s hospital in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
Thirty-three people were injured, of whom six were hospitalised, according to the Jerusalem Red Crescent. Police said they arrested six people.
Fresh violence erupted Friday in the West Bank, including a raid and clashes around Jenin refugee camp that claimed the life of an Israeli officer.