Abu Akleh's family demands ‘accountability’ from Blinken
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Shireen Abu Akleh's family demands that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hold "Israel" accountable for the Palestinian journalist's murder.
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Abu Akleh's family demands ‘accountability’ from Blinken.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said those responsible for the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh would be held accountable, as her family members continue to demand action and insist she was killed by the Israeli occupation forces.
Blinken expressed his "deepest condolences" and a "commitment to pursue accountability for her tragic killing" following a visit by Abu Akleh's relatives on Tuesday but did not explain what steps would be done.
Today I met with the family of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whose fearless journalism earned her the respect of audiences around the world. I expressed my deepest condolences and commitment to pursue accountability for her tragic killing. pic.twitter.com/zJL4zR6l2E
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 27, 2022
Accountability requires action. We look forward to a US investigation that leads to real consequences.
— Lina Abu Akleh (@LinaAbuAkleh) July 27, 2022
Shireen was my aunt and the voice of Palestine and she was killed by an Israeli soldier. #JusticeForShireen https://t.co/OF7cLYcAwb
Read more: WashPost: Evidence points to IOF murdering Shireen Abu Akleh
Later, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price emphasized "the priority we take to accountability" concerning Abu Akleh's killing, but provided few other details on how the White House intends to proceed or what was addressed during the meeting with Blinken.
Abu Akleh, a senior Al Jazeera journalist, was killed while covering an Israeli raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank last May, despite wearing obvious press identification.
While the UN and a number of media outlets and humanitarian organizations researched the incident and found Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli fire, an official US investigation said it "could not reach a definitive conclusion" about who fired the shot.
Read next: Palestine hands bullet that killed Shireen Abu Akleh over to US team
Despite acknowledging that Israeli soldiers were "likely responsible", the investigation claimed that there was no evidence she was slain on purpose, echoing claims by Israeli officials.
The journalist's family slammed the American probe, calling it "incredulous" for its inconclusive findings, and has continued to press for justice for Abu Akleh's killer.
Lina Abu Akleh, the journalist's niece, said following Tuesday's meeting with Blinken that while the official "made some assurances on Shireen's killing," her family is "still waiting to see if this administration will meaningfully answer our calls for justice for Shireen."
“[Secretary Blinken] told us that he has a duty to protect every US citizen. We will hold him to this,” she continued. “Nothing short of a US investigation that leads to real accountability is acceptable, and we won’t stop until no other American or Palestinian family endures the same pain we have.”
Read next: CNN: "Israel" purposely murdered Shireen Abu Akleh
While the Joe Biden administration has made few public remarks about whether it has pressed Israeli authorities on the subject, Blinken is said to have mentioned it privately during a discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid earlier this month.
According to Israeli officials reached by Axios, the government has no intentions to take any further action on the subject beyond the ongoing military probe, and criminal charges seem doubtful.
The Israeli military, for its part, initially suggested that the journalist had been killed by a Palestinian militant but later stated that it was unable to determine who fired the fatal shot. Nonetheless, it ruled "conclusively" that Israeli troops had "no intention to harm" Abu Akleh and did not shoot at her on purpose during the raid.
