Arabic version: لجنة حماية الصحفيين تطالب بتحديث حول تحقيق مكتب التحقيقات الفيدرالي في مقتل أبو عاقلة
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has demanded a public progress update from United States authorities on the FBI probe into the Israeli military’s killing of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. According to Al Jazeera, Abu Akleh was shot dead by an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank in 2022 while covering Israeli military actions.
In an open letter to the Department of Justice and FBI chief Kash Patel, the CPJ expressed concern over the stagnation of the investigation, stating that the lack of concrete progress represents a failure by the US government to respond to the killing of one of its citizens by a foreign military. The letter highlighted that no formal interviews with witnesses have occurred, despite their willingness to cooperate, and there has been no evidence-gathering activity in Israel or Palestine.
Abu Akleh, a longtime TV correspondent for Al Jazeera Arabic, was killed on May 11, 2022, during Israeli raids in Jenin. Initially, Israel accused Palestinian fighters of her death; however, the Israeli military later acknowledged that it could not definitively determine the source of the gunfire that struck her, admitting a high possibility that it was Israeli fire.
Multiple independent investigations have concluded that Abu Akleh was deliberately targeted. The CPJ is demanding a transparent investigation process, including a timeline and the public release of findings. Abu Akleh’s family lamented that justice remains elusive, warning that the absence of accountability sends a message that journalists can be attacked without consequences.
The CPJ noted that since Abu Akleh’s death, Israel has killed 258 journalists and media workers, with allegations of connections to armed groups often levied against them. This ongoing violence against journalists reflects a broader culture of impunity that, according to CPJ’s regional director Sara Qudah, emboldens further attacks and threatens the safety of truth-tellers in conflict zones.
