Israel’s shifting narratives on the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
Al JazeeraDec 24, 2022
Israel Says ‘High Possibility’ its Army Killed Shireen Abu Akleh
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Image copyright: Associated Press
The Facts
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Mon. that there is a "high possibility" that Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed by Israeli fire while covering a military operation in Jenin in May.
In a statement, they said that Abu Akleh was likely accidentally hit by IDF gunfire during a shooting exchange with suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen. The statement indicates that no one will be punished for the shooting.
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. Israel continues to avoid accountability, as the international community has failed to apply meaningful pressure to bring her killers to justice.
Pro-Israel narrative
Though the death of 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. It's still possible that Akleh might have been caught in the crossfire from Palestinian gunmen. Even if she was killed by a stray Israeli bullet, her death was unintentional.
