U.S. opposes Al Jazeera submitting case to ICC over Palestinian American journalist's death
The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that it was against Al Jazeera filing a case to the International Criminal Court against Israeli forces for the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Asked at a press briefing about the Biden administration’s stance on an investigation by the ICC, State Department spokesman Ned Price told a reporter, “We oppose it.”
“We maintain our long-standing objections to the ICC’s investigation into the Palestinian situation, and the ICC should focus on its core mission, and that core mission of serving as a court of last resort in punishing and deterring atrocity crimes,” Price added.
The outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday said that “no one will investigate IDF soldiers and no one will preach to us about morals in warfare, certainly not Al Jazeera.” Lapid went on to emphasize his support for the country’s defense forces.
Outside the ICC at the Hague in the Netherlands, Abu Akleh’s niece Lina said during a press conference that it was “past time for justice for Shireen.” “When individual states are unwilling [to investigate] their own atrocities — as is the case with Israel — it is the responsibility of the international community to intervene to ensure war crimes don’t go unpunished,” she said.
It comes hours after Al Jazeera announced it was submitting a case against Israeli forces over Abu Akleh’s death in May. For the past six months, the media network has been conducting an investigation into the case, which it had submitted to the ICC. Al Jazeera said the case includes “new witness evidence and video footage” that “clearly show that Shireen and her colleagues were directly fired at by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).”
“Al Jazeera reiterates its commitment to achieving justice for Shireen and to exploring all avenues to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable and brought to justice,” a network statement read.
On May 11, Abu Akleh was covering an Israeli raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank when she was shot dead. Al Jazeera producer Ali al-Samoudi, who was working with Abu Akleh, accused Israeli forces of killing her in “cold blood.” At the time, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) tweeted that the bullet was “Palestinian armed gunfire.” However, in September, the IDF admitted there was a “high possibility” that Abu Akleh “was accidentally hit by” Israeli fire.
The IDF’s military advocate general said in September it was not intending to pursue criminal charges against the soldiers that were involved in the death of Abu Akleh. “After a comprehensive examination of the incident, and based on all the findings presented ... there was no suspicion of a criminal offense that warrants the opening of an MPCID investigation,” the statement said.
Yahoo News has reached out to the State Department for comment.
