(TP-The following are comments to the original article, and are not mine.)
Al Jazeera Files Lawsuit Against Israel at International Criminal Court Over Abu Akleh Killing
The Qatari news agency says it has unearthed 'new evidence' disputing the claim that Israel killed veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh 'by mistake'
Shireen Abu Akleh.Credit: - - AFP
Al Jazeera on Tuesday said it filed a lawsuit at the International Criminal Court against Israel over the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot during an Israeli raid in the West Bank in May.
The lawsuit is based on new evidence that confirms Israeli forces directly fired at Abu Akleh, the news network said, emphasizing that "the claim that Shireen was killed by mistake in an exchange of fire is completely unfounded."
The litigation comes in light of an investigation by the television news network's legal team on the case, the Qatari news network said in a statement, claiming that it "unearthed new evidence based on several eyewitness accounts, the examination of multiple items of video footage, and forensic evidence pertaining to the case."
Contrary to past Israeli claims, the news network said "without any doubt, that there was no firing in the area where Shireen was, other than the IOF shooting directly at her," arguing that the killing is part of a deliberate campaign "to target and silence Al Jazeera."
The news network's lawyers said they are now working to identify who were directly involved in Abu Akleh's killing, and will further petition the ICC to investigate last year's Israeli airstrike on Al Jazeera's offices in the Gaza Strip as parts of its investigation.
The ICC must identify the individuals who were directly involved Abu Akleh's killing, Al Jazeera lawyer Rodney Dixon KC told a news conference in The Hague on Tuesday.
"The rulings of the International Criminal Court stipulate that those responsible be investigated and held accountable. Otherwise, they bear the same responsibility as if they were the ones who opened fire," Dixon said.
Unlike the International Court of Justice, which handles cases between states, the ICC has the power to prosecute individuals, meaning the case will have to be aimed at specific Israeli leaders.
“My family still doesn’t know who shot the deadly bullet,” Lena Abu Akleh, Shireen’s niece, told reporters. The family submitted their own request for an ICC investigation in September.
While it remains unclear which individuals will be prosecuted, officials in Jerusalem believe that Al Jazeera aims to ratchet up international pressure on Israel over Abu Akleh's killing, even if no Israeli leaders are ultimately charged.
Addressing a Knesset conference on Tuesday, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that "nobody will investigate IDF soldiers, preach morality on warfare, and certainly not Al Jazeera."
Speaking after Lapid, Defense Minister Benny Gantz expressed regret over Abu Akleh's death, but said that the situation occurred in a "clear-cut" combat situation, and suggested that Al Jazeera "check first what happens to journalists in Iran."
Incoming National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the network "antisemitic and deceitful" and for them to be "expelled from the country today."
Israel's Foreign Ministry refused to comment on the matter.
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Walid Al-Omari, the bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Jerusalem, described the Israeli response as "unsurprising," and called for the international court to go after those responsible with or without Israeli cooperation.
"All the evidence and eyewitnesses confirm that Israel is responsible for the crime," he added.
Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera reporter, was killed on May 11, during an Israeli military raid in the Jenin refugee camp. At least five major international media outlets have published detailed investigations of the case, all showing that Israel was likely responsible for the deadly shooting. An Israeli military probe, though, failed to reach a clear conclusion.
In early July, the U.S. State Department said that an analysis of the bullet that killed her "could not reach a definitive conclusion regarding [its] origin." It did, however, say that Israeli soldiers were likely responsible for the killing.
Israeli human rights group Yesh Din charged on Tuesday that Israel's decision not to follow up with a criminal investigation "is what opened the door to the lawsuit at the International Criminal Court," and reiterated its call for an independent international probe into the case.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.