[Peace-discuss] CNN: New evidence suggests Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in targeted attack by Israeli forces

[Robert Naiman]

We're always complaining, justly, that the U.S. media is refusing to cover
what the Israeli military is doing with U.S. enabling to Palestinian
civilians.

Well, now they're covering it. Let's see what happens now.

===

"But an investigation by CNN offers new evidence — including two videos of
the scene of the shooting — that there was no active combat, nor any
Palestinian militants, near Abu Akleh in the moments leading up to her
death. Videos obtained by CNN, corroborated by testimony from eight
eyewitnesses, an audio forensic analyst and an explosive weapons expert,
suggest that Abu Akleh was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces.
"

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/24/middleeast/shireen-abu-akleh-jenin-killing-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

'They were shooting directly at the journalists': New evidence suggests
Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in targeted attack by Israeli forces

By Zeena Saifi <https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/zeena-saifi>, Eliza
Mackintosh <https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/eliza-mackintosh>, Celine
Alkhaldi, Kareem Khadder, Katie Polglase
<https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/katie-polglase> and Gianluca Mezzofiore
<https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/gianluca-mezzofiore>, CNN
Video by Livvy Doherty and Oscar Featherstone, CNN

Updated 2:04 PM ET, Tue May 24, 2022

*This story contains a disturbing image.*

[...]

The shaky video, filmed by Al Jazeera cameraman Majdi Banura, captures the
scene when Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian-American was killed by a
bullet to the head at around 6:30 a.m. on May 11. She had been standing
with a group of journalists near the entrance of Jenin refugee camp, where
they had come to cover an Israeli raid. While the footage does not show Abu
Akleh being shot, eyewitnesses told CNN that they believe Israeli forces on
the same street fired deliberately on the reporters in a targeted attack.
All of the journalists were wearing protective blue vests that identified
them as members of the news media.
"We stood in front of the Israeli military vehicles for about five to ten
minutes before we made moves to ensure they saw us. And this is a habit of
ours as journalists, we move as a group and we stand in front of them so
they know we are journalists, and then we start moving," Hanaysha told CNN,
describing their cautious approach toward the Israeli army convoy, before
the gunfire began.
[...]
On the day of the shooting, Israeli military spokesperson Ran Kochav told
Army Radio that Abu Akleh had been "filming and working for a media outlet
amidst armed Palestinians. They're armed with cameras, if you'll permit me
to say so," according to The Times of Israel.
The Israeli military says it is not clear who fired the fatal shot. In
a preliminary
inquiry
<https://www.idf.il/en/articles/2022/findings-from-the-initial-investigation-into-the-shooting-incident-in-which-the-journalist-shireen-abu-akleh-was-killed/>,
the army said there was a possibility Abu Akleh was hit either by
indiscriminate Palestinian gunfire, or by an Israeli sniper positioned
about 200 meters (about 656 feet) away in an exchange of fire with
Palestinian gunmen — though neither Israel nor anyone else has provided
evidence showing armed Palestinians within a clear line of fire from Abu
Akleh.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on May 19 that it had not yet decided
whether to pursue a criminal investigation into Abu Akleh's death. On
Monday, the Israeli military's top lawyer, Major General Yifat
Tomer-Yerushalmi, said in a speech that under the military's policy, a
criminal investigation is not automatically launched if a person is killed
in the "midst of an active combat zone," unless there is credible and
immediate suspicion of a criminal offense. United States lawmakers, the
United Nations and the international community have all called for an
independent probe.
But an investigation by CNN offers new evidence — including two videos of
the scene of the shooting — that there was no active combat, nor any
Palestinian militants, near Abu Akleh in the moments leading up to her
death. Videos obtained by CNN, corroborated by testimony from eight
eyewitnesses, an audio forensic analyst and an explosive weapons expert,
suggest that Abu Akleh was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces.
[...]
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