THE BULLET 

I was hoping against all hope that this was the last of it. The last time I would write about the bullet that killed Shireen Abu Akleh, but I doubt it.

Finally, after a lot of haggling Palestinian Authority officials handed over the bullet.

In a press release, the IDF said the US Security Coordinator (USSC), which intercedes with the Palestinian Authority and Israel on security assistance,

received the bullet that was “alleged” to have killed Ms Akleh from the Palestinian Authority (PA).

 “A ballistic examination was conducted in a forensic laboratory in Israel. Israeli experts examined the bullet in order to determine if there was any connection between it and the weapon from which it was allegedly fired. Namely, the specific markings left by the rifling on the gun barrel. )A local firearms expert told me that rifling is machining helical grooves into the inner surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis.(

USSC representatives were present throughout the entire examination. Despite these efforts, the physical condition of the bullet and the quality of the markings on it do not enable a ballistic examination to conclusively determine whether or not the bullet was fired from the weapon they examined.”

“The bullet remained under the control of Lieutenant General Michael R. Fenzel (USSC) until it was returned Sunday following the investigation’s conclusion.” The IDF statement added.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said there was no 'definitive conclusion' on the bullet that killed the Al Jazeera reporter.  Apparently, the State Department doesn’t like vague open-ended statements, because the spokesperson was quick to add, “IDF forces are 'likely responsible' for the reporter's death.”

 I suppose the afterthought was intended to satisfy the Palestinians. However, it had the opposite effect. PA President Mahmoud Abbas called on the US to “maintain its credibility” in a response to the State Department’s conclusion. “We demand that the US hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the crime of killing the martyr Abu Akleh,” said Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah.

Other officials in Ramallah were more critical. “We were surprised by these statements. The technical data in our possession indicates that the condition of the bullet is viable for matching with the firearm [that shot it],” PA Public Prosecutor Akram al-Khatib said.

Al-Khatib called the American conclusion “unacceptable” in light of evidence collected by the PA.

Senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh also criticised the US, saying that “we will not permit attempts to conceal the truth or timid comments in indicting Israel.”

In their own statement, Abu Akleh’s family pronounced themselves “incredulous” and harshly criticised the US conclusion that there was no evidence that the reporter’s killing was intentional.

“There were numerous eyewitnesses to the killing, and we have now had the benefit of reports from multiple local and international media outlets, human rights organisations, and the United Nations, that an Israeli soldier fired the fatal shot,” the family said.

They called the journalist’s death “an extrajudicial killing.”

 At this juncture I simply have to add a brief margin note: I’m amazed that the tinpot Palestinian Authority has the audacity to dictate terms to the greatest power on earth.

Back to the main text:

The criticism voiced by Israeli officials was definitely more toned-down. Nonetheless, there was significant Israeli frustration with the State Department’s publicised findings.

In what appeared to be another attempt to placate the Palestinian’s, US State Department Spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington on Tuesday

“We would want to see accountability in any case of wrongful death, especially in the wrongful death of an American citizen, as was Shireen Abu Akleh. Our goal and the collective goal of the parties is to see to it that something akin to this, the killing of a journalist in a conflict zone, must not happen again. The IDF as a professional military outfit is in a position, or soon will be in a position, to consider steps to safeguard non-combatants.”

Price stopped short of holding Israel directly responsible for Shireen Abu Akleh’s death.

I doubt if that satisfied the Palestinians and it certainly didn’t please Israel.

The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem also criticised the US conclusion, calling it a form of whitewashing.

“All investigations published so far conclude that Israel is responsible for the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. It is not clear on what grounds does the US State Department seek to dismiss her killing,” B’Tselem tweeted. It said the US should treat the killing as a crime and seek justice.

Yesh Din, another Israeli human rights group, said the US announcement “shows once again why there is no trust in the IDF spokesman or the army.

It called for an independent international probe.

With friends like B’Tselem and Yesh Din who needs enemies.

Various news outlets mentioned contradictory reports regarding where the bullet was examined and by whom.

It really doesn’t matter. Neither the PA nor  Shireen Abu Akleh’s family are prepared to accept anything less than their own demands.

If possible, I prefer to conclude on a happy optimistic note. Apparently, Jenin is not a battlefield with bullets flying around all the time. On quieter days our neighbours, Israeli Arabs, often shop in Jenin because it is cheaper. Yesterday they drove there to buy clothes for a wedding they are going to.

 

Have a good weekend.

 

Beni,                                                               7^th of July, 2022.