For everyone who fears that Israel will be able to sweep the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh under the rug, there is good news: two Senators from across the aisle sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken a letter yesterday demanding that the U.S. ensure a “full and transparent” investigation into the May 11 shooting of the Palestinian-American journalist.
The demand by Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Jonathan Ossoff (D-GA) that “justice is served for Ms. Akleh’s death” means that Abu Akleh’s killing won’t just disappear, even as Joe Biden is planning a very-political trip to Israel in coming weeks to help out the fragile Israeli governing coalition, as well as help his own party in 2022. No, the killing is likely to come up again and again in questions from the international press corps.
The Israeli government has tried to make the case go away without any real investigation. Romney and Ossoff write:
The killing of a U.S. citizen and of a journalist engaged in the work of reporting in a conflict zone is unacceptable…. We insist that the Administration ensure a full and transparent investigation is completed and that justice is served for Ms. Akleh’s death. Please provide a detailed update on the progress of this effort within 30 days.
The letter follows a letter of May 19 signed by 57 Democratic Congresspeople, calling on the State Department and the FBI to investigate the matter and determine whether U.S. laws were violated in her killing. “We need answers and accountability from the Israeli government,” Rep. Andre Carson wrote in spearheading the letter.
The Senate letter follows a drumbeat of media investigations affirming what eyewitnesses to the shooting said on May 11: as a group of journalists moved together outside Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, several rifle shots came from Israeli soldiers standing about 600 feet away with a clear line of sight, hitting both Abu Akleh and her producer at Al Jazeera, who was wounded. Those investigations are borne out by Palestinian authorities stating that the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was the kind fired by a rifle used by Israeli forces.
Israel has called these findings “biased,” though it surely knows which of its soldiers killed Abu Akleh. But several U.S. Jewish organizations that advocate for Israel have promoted its dismissive claims.
The letter is a sign that the Israel-criticism that polls show is increasing in the U.S. public is registering in Congress. Romney’s signature “underscores that the pressure coming from US lawmakers on the issue is not only connected to progressive Democrats, who have grown increasingly critical of Israel in recent years,” the JTA observed in reporting the story.
Both Ossoff and Romney have taken pro-Israel positions. Romney famously cultivated Benjamin Netanyahu and Sheldon Adelson in the 2012 presidential election campaign. Ossoff is not up for reelection until 2026. Romney is up for reelection in 2024 and, now a GOP “maverick” because he backed Biden’s Supreme Court pick, has said he is undecided about whether he will run again.
The Atlantic just posted (emphasis mine) “The United States Must Stand Up for One of Its Own – If the Biden administration refuses to investigate the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, those who target American journalists will have impunity.” (delete any Atlantic cookies if you have trouble accessing)
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/06/palestinian-shireen-abu-akleh-journalist-investigation-us/661201/
The Israeli government dismissed the claim of intentional targeting, but has ruled out a criminal inquiry, which it has no incentive to undertake. For its part, the Palestinian Authority lacks the resources and credibility for a full investigation of its own….Violence against journalists is not uncommon in Israel and Palestine. At least 18 journalists have been killed by suspected military fire since 1992, according to the New York–based Committee to Protect Journalists,…The Biden administration still has the opportunity to determine definitively who killed Shireen Abu Akleh and turn her case into a deterrent for those who might otherwise have little compunction about murdering members of the press. Unless the U.S. is willing to act on its words about accountability and see that justice is served, it not only will have failed one of its own, but will also be sending out a dangerous message to the world that the lives of journalists, even American journalists, are expendable.
And where is Pat Leahy?
What arms sales to Israel has the Leahy Law ever prevented?
It is utterly disheartening that the US has the power to END this brutal occupation, stop the land thefts, and hold Israel accountable for the killing of unarmed civilians, but we keep enabling them, and protecting them, for decades, and REFUSE to do so. All what we preach to other nations, and condemn them for, we ignore, tolerate, and refuse, to hold Israel accountable for the very same crimes or worse. We have become partners in crime with Israel, by sending more and more aid, and keep giving them the weapons that they use against children, civilians, and journalists.
AIPAC and other Israeli lobbies should be registered as foreign lobbies, because they work for the best interests of the zionists, while interfering in our political system, control free speech, and have in place attack squads to make sure our politicians toe the line, or pour in millions of dollars to run against those who have the spine to stand up to them. Any statement by an American mildly criticizing Israel or its crimes, is immediately called “anti-semitic” to shut that person up. This has become ridiculous, and utterly un-American, but no American leader does anything about it.
While it is a great move by these Members of Congress to hold this rogue nation accountable for the assassination of a beloved and popular journalist, who happens to be an American, we know that this will all fizzle out, like before, and the mere fact that the Biden White House has not said much, or condemned this killing, and that he is making his pilgrimage to show his unwavering support to Israel soon, shows NOTHING will happen to hold these killers accountable. We have had 50 journalists assassinated by Israeli goons, a media building bombed, we have had entire families being wiped out by precision bombs, UN shelters being bombed and civilians killed, unarmed protesters being killed by snipers (including medics), crimes by settler terrorists including killing, injuring, and stealing, and extreme right wing youth marching through Arab neighborhoods chanting racist slogans, and calling for the death of Arabs.
What has the US done to condemn all these violent crimes and HOLD Israel, our top aid recipient accountable?
“We need answers and accountability from the Israeli government”
Hopefully this is the beginning of a new, common sense attitude toward Israel by America’s government.
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“So in the face of continuing calls for accountability for the shooting of a beloved journalist in the Arab world, what is the Israeli answer now?
“Unfortunately, in the public arena, it is even worse and more shortsighted than the initial shabby misinformation: It is to call virtually any discussion of Israeli culpability in this case antisemitic, because the focus on Israel itself represents a ‘double standard.’ On top of this being an appalling evasion of responsibility for a country claiming to have one of the ‘most moral’ armies in the world, it is a strategy that will almost surely fail, if not backfire completely.
“The international messenger for the above line has been Noa Tishby, an actress appointed just last month by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid as the first Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel.”