Israel ‘will not investigate’ fatal shooting of journalist

THE Israeli army will not investigate the death of a Palestinian journalist who was shot in the West Bank over fears the findings would be too controversial, Israeli media have reported.

Shireen Abu Akleh, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, was shot in the head while reporting on an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin last week.

Her colleagues who witnessed the shooting blamed the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), while the Israeli government said she may have been killed by Palestinian militants. A recent report by the investigative website Bellingcat also found it likely that the bullet was fired by an Israeli soldier.

But according to a report in Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, the IDF has decided not to open an investigation as the soldiers based in Jenin at the time have denied involvement. The report went on to say that there were concerns an investigation would “provoke opposition and controversy within the IDF and in Israeli society in general”.

Israel initially blamed Palestinian militants for the shooting, but military officials later said it would look into the possibility that Israeli troops may have been responsible.

Israel has said a conclusive investigation into the journalist’s death would need cooperation from the Palestinian Authority, which has refused to hand over the bullet because it does not trust Israel to conduct a fair investigation.

When approached for comment about the Haaretz report, the IDF said a military police investigation had not been launched immediately due to “the nature of the active combat situation in Jenin”.