Washington reversed its stance by rejecting the assassination of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, in the latest annual human rights report issued by the US State Department endorsed the Israeli government’s version of events in her death, and it did not address the issue of the killing of an elderly Palestinian-American after being arrested by Israeli forces.
The report, which was issued on Monday, March 20, did not describe the killing of the journalist as an extrajudicial or arbitrary killing, but rather mentioned the incident in the section on violations of freedom of expression, according to Middle East Eye.
Israeli army investigation concluded that it was “likely” that an Israeli soldier had shot her, but had not intentionally targeted her. However, several independent investigations showed that the Israeli forces targeted Abu Akleh and her colleagues directly, despite the appearance of their press badges and their identification with them.
The report did not include the case of Abu Akleh’s death in the “extrajudicial killings” section but criticized the investigations conducted by Israel regarding the wrongdoings and abuses of its security forces, the unlawful and arbitrary killings, and the restrictions it imposes on Palestinians.
The US State Department report also did not mention the case of the killing of the 80-year-old Palestinian American Omar Asaad, who died after being assaulted by an occupation army force and detained in poor conditions.
The New York Times quoted the forensic report as saying that Asaad suffered a heart attack from excessive exhaustion, which was most likely caused by being gagged and left injured in a house under construction.
The State Department report said that “Israel’s military and civilian branches of justice have rarely accused security forces of abuse,” although “there are several reports that the government or its agents have committed arbitrary or extrajudicial killings.”
The report added, “citizens with mental disabilities because they are more likely than others to be at risk of violence when dealing with the police.”
Washington contradicts itself
In the context of announcing the report during a press conference, Monday, March 20, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, “We do not intend to criticize a specific party; rather, we call things as we see them.”
However, despite the report’s content, the United States continued to provide diplomatic and military support to Israel, something Palestinian rights advocates say fuels violence and further violations of Palestinian rights.
On Wednesday, May 11, the Israeli occupation forces assassinated Shireen Abu Akleh while she was on her way to cover the situation and developments in the Jenin camp, even though she was wearing a bullet-proof vest with the press logo and a protective helmet.
On Friday, May 13, thousands of Palestinians in East Jerusalem participated in the funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh.
The violence erupted as the Israeli police prevented mourners from raising Palestinian flags and chanting national slogans at the American-Palestinian journalist’s funeral.
