UN: Israelis fired shots that killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
Al JazeeraDec 30, 2021
The Facts
The United Nations Human Rights Office on Fri. stated that evidence it had gathered indicates that Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces.
After inspecting audiovisual material, visiting the site, and consulting with experts and witnesses, the UN probe concluded that no "indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians" was taking place when Abu Akleh was shot.
The Spin
Pro-Palestine narrative
There's no doubt that Israeli forces deliberately killed Abu Akleh. She was hundreds of meters away from any armed clashes, Israeli snipers were present in the area, and several witnesses said that they had fired at her team. Akleh's killing was a heinous crime and violates international laws and norms. Israel must be held accountable.
Pro-Israel narrative
Though the death of Abu Akleh is tragic, critics of Israel are always quick to jump to conclusions about events in the West Bank. Jenin is a well-known hotbed of terrorist activity, and no one can know who killed Akleh until the Palestinians hand over the evidence to Israeli authorities.