A US senator during the senate budget hearing lashed out at a top Biden administrative official over defers in delivering a brief report on the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. The senator demanded the report should be available by Friday.
“As you likely know, I have been pursuing for quite a long time now to snag the updated summation report done by the General Fenzel of the [United States Security Coordinator] with respect to the shooting demise of Shireen Abu Akleh. I simply need to tell you, I have become irritated,” said Senator Van Hollen as quoted by Middle East Eye.
Van Hollen warned the US State Department assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs Barbara Leaf and demanded that if the reports are not submitted by Friday, he will “do whatever is in his power”.
Leaf apologised for the delay but did not provide a timetable regarding the submission of the summary report.
“I understand, Senator, and I apologize for the delay; we anticipate submitting that report to the committee shortly for your review.” I do apologize.” replied Leaf.
A US citizen, Shireen Abu Akleh was an Al Jazeera news reporter. She was assassinated on May 11 by an Israeli sniper at the entrance to Jenin, as she was on her way with other journalists to cover the occupation’s storming of the camp. Her assassination sparked Arab outrage and widespread international condemnation.
After the assassination of Shireen, the Israeli investigating issued a statement and claimed that there is a high possibility that Shireen Abu Akleh was “accidentally hit by Israel Defense Forces (IDF)”during an encounter with “Palestinian gunmen”.
The report confirmed that a full year after the bullet that killed the late Al-Jazeera correspondent, no charges were filed in this regard, and it does not seem that they will be filed in the future, according to a new analysis of the murders of journalists working to cover the Israeli incursions into the West Bank during the past two decades.
Demands of justice
Following the worldwide outrage over the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, Anton Abu Akleh, the late journalist’s brother, told AFP that the family is waiting for “justice for Shireen.”
He said, “ We went through many stages, experiences, and challenges to try to obtain Shireen’s rights, and achieve justice for Shireen, the justice that everyone awaits after Shireen’s assassination.”
In the United States, Van Hollen has led efforts to prosecute Abu Akleh’s killers.
He has drafted amendments to legislation that would require the Biden administration to provide additional information on her death in addition to sending letters to the Biden administration requesting an independent investigation into the shooting.
Earlier this month, The US legislator wrote a letter to the Biden administration, requesting to release a report from the United States Security Coordinator (USSC) on the Al-Jazeera journalist’s death for congressional review.
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