Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is calling on the Biden administration to release a new report from U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces nearly a year ago.
In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Van Hollen says he has been in contact several times since being made aware of the report and was recently informed that the administration plans to make some “technical” changes to its contents. Van Hollen says any alteration of the report “would violate the integrity of this process.”
“At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this past weekend, President Biden spoke passionately and firmly about his determination to bring home American journalists who are being wrongly detained abroad — a goal we all share,” reads the letter. “In addition to these unjust detentions, there are also journalists who, during the last year, have died in the line of duty as they reported from conflict zones. One of those is American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by gunfire on May 11, 2022 while covering an Israeli military operation in the West Bank. A widely respected and professional journalist, Ms. Abu Akleh was posthumously awarded the National Press Club’s President’s Award honoring her contributions to journalism.”
“As we approach the one year anniversary of Ms. Abu Akleh’s death, no one has been held accountable and no independent, official investigation has been completed,” it continues. “At the same time, the Security Coordinator has had the opportunity to review an array of in-depth analyses and assessments in order to complete the Summation Report,” he continued. “I ask that you immediately authorize the release of the full and unedited USSC Report under appropriate classification to me and other interested Members of Congress.”
Van Hollen’s letter was first reported by Barak Ravid at Axios.
When asked about the report and the Van Hollen letter during a State Department briefing on May 3, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said he had no additional assessments or updates to offer.
Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces while reporting on a raid in occupied Jenin on May 11, 2022. Israeli officials initially tried to blame her death on dueling gunfire between the IDF and Palestinian militants, but this theory was quickly disproven by eyewitness testimony and multiple media investigations.
Israel launched its own investigation into the incident, and in September 2022, released a report on the killing, admitting there was a “high possibility” that the IDF was responsible but dismissing the possibility of a criminal probe. The report was met with widespread condemnation. “Our family is not surprised by this outcome since it’s obvious to anyone that Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes,” said Abu Akleh’s family in a statement. “However, we remain deeply hurt, frustrated, and disappointed.”
Since Abu Akleh’s death, the Biden administration has faced pressure to act from her family, activists, and Democratic congress members. The State Department has publicly called for accountability, and last June Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that the U.S. wanted an “independent, credible investigation,” but advocates have seen no action. The White House welcomed the Israeli report without criticism and opposes any International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the matter. Last November, it was announced that the FBI had opened its own probe, but the administration was reportedly unaware of the move, and there have been no public updates on the investigation.
The State Department’s annual report on human rights, released in March, does not identify Abu Akleh’s death as an extrajudicial or arbitrary killing. Those classifications would technically acknowledge that Israel could be sanctioned for the killing under the Leahy Law.
McCarthy in Israel
Kevin McCarthy led a delegation to Israel this week and told reporters, “Our country is committed to what the UN charter says – that people cannot take land or other countries by force.”
He was referring to Russia after a reporter asked a question about Ukraine. On the subject of Israel everything was laudatory, of course.
In Israel, McCarthy addressed the Knesset, the first sitting Speaker of the House to do so in 25 years. “Our values are your values,” he told lawmakers. “Our heritage is your heritage. Our dreams are your dreams. America is grateful for our friendship with Israel. We are a better nation because of it. And we must never shy away from defending it.”
He didn’t mention the Palestinians once, although he did attack BDS. “Whether it’s the toxic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement or the constant attacks on Israel at the United Nations, prejudice against Israel on the world stage is damaging and destructive,” he explained.
What was the actual function of McCarthy’s trip? He made that pretty clear. , “I’ll invite the prime minister to come meet with the House. … President Biden hasn’t talked to me about the debt ceiling for the last 80 some days, so … the prime minister might be in good company if he treats me the same way,” he told reporters.
In Haaretz Alon Pinkas drew a parallel to the last time a Speaker addressed the Knesset, Newt Gingrich in 1998. It was there that Netanyahu launched a strategy for dealing with Washington: “Disengage from the Democrats, align with the right wing of the Republican Party, dispense with ‘bipartisanship,’ develop a confrontational approach when dealing with U.S. politics and deliberately turn Israel into a partisan wedge issue.”
As Pinkas notes, things are a lot different for Netanyahu this time. Among Democratic voters, about a quarter of conservatives and moderates have a favorable view of the Prime Minister, and only one-in-ten liberal Democrats hold him in high esteem. The Biden administration has openly criticized his proposed judicial overhaul and, as McCarthy notes, there’s no invitation to The White House amid Israel’s tumultuous political situation. Notably, Netanyahu downplayed Florida Governor Ron Desantis’s recent trip to the country and met with J Street-backed leaders of a Democratic delegation earlier this year. Netanyahu’s 25-year strategy is finally starting to backfire.
Odds & Ends
???? In his speech at the Anti-Defamation’s League (ADL) National Leadership Summit the group’s CEO Jonathan Greenblatt all but ignored the threat of far-right antisemitism and focused his comments on anti-Zionists. “Just last week, we celebrated Israel’s 75th Independence Day. I know there are challenges in Israel right now. For many there — and here — this historic Yom Ha’atzmaut is filled with pride but also with complexity…worry…anxiety…and concern about the future of the Jewish state,” he told attendees. “And I know that for bigots — especially those who self-style as “anti-Zionists” — Israel’s Independence Day is a day to redouble their efforts to make sure it is Israel’s last Independence Day.”
He also warned about the growing impact of the boycott movement. “Indeed, over the past few years, the BDS movement has moved from college campuses and into corporate boardrooms — like when Ben and Jerry’s announced that they would not sell ice cream in the West Bank…or when rating agencies like Morningstar adopted policies that would make doing business with the Jewish State a black mark on their profile,” said Greenblatt.
???? Jewish scholars were booed at a conference in New York for bringing up the Nakba.
???? An IHRA bill failed in Georgia but is expected to be reintroduced.
???? University of Denver criticized for violating Middle East scholar’s academic freedom
???? Palestinian film and art groups are calling for a boycott of Marvel Studios’ forthcoming movie Captain America: New World Order, which is set to hit theaters in May 2024. The comic book sequel includes the character Sabra, an Israeli police officer and agent of the Mossad.
“We encourage creative, peaceful protests to challenge Marvel Studios’ – and its owner Disney’s – complicity in anti-Palestinian racism, Israeli propaganda, and the glorification of settler-colonial violence against Indigenous people,” reads an open letter from the coalition. “Principled filmgoers would have boycotted a movie featuring a superhero that represented the South African apartheid regime. Likewise, we urge conscientious audiences worldwide to join us in boycotting Captain America: New World Order, and standing up for freedom, justice and equality.”
To learn more about the superhero (who was created for comics in the 1980s) check out Mitchell Plitnick’s piece on the topic from last fall.
???? Arkansas owes a North Carolina dermatologist $500, but won’t pay him because he refuses to sign a pledge to not boycott Israel. Dr. Steve Feldman gave a lecture to Little Rock medical students in February.
From the Arkansas Times:
Feldman’s decision to forego the pledge to not boycott Israel was gumming up his billing process with the state of Arkansas, putting his $500 honorarium on hold. Suddenly, this devout Jewish man with multiple trips to Israel under his belt found himself in a strange spot.
Feldman said that during his multiple trips to Israel, he’s seen Palestinians suffer at Israeli hands. Arkansas’s law requiring anyone who does business with the state to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel clashes with his religious and moral views, he said.
“What’s nuts is they’re asking a newspaper to say they won’t boycott Israel, they’re asking Americans who have a conscience, who know Israel is keeping Palestinians from their homes,” he said.
A 2017 Arkansas law requires all companies that contract with the state to sign a pledge promising to refrain from boycotting Israel. In February, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a case challenging the law.
???????? The UN must not adopt the IHRA definition.
???????? Israel finding it harder to push its racism in US.
???????? ‘Mission Accomplished’ was a massive fail — but it was just the beginning.
???????? The suppressed history of Israel’s support for the brutal Greek junta
???????? Criticism of Jordan is getting louder, but not from Congress
⚖️ This week the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and a number of U.S. citizens living in Israel. The JNF claimed that USCPR had somehow provided “material support” for terrorism as a result of engaging in Palestine advocacy.
In March 2021 the lower court ruled that JNF’s arguments were, “to say the least, not persuasive.”
USCPR Executive Director Ahmad Abuznaid: “This is a victory for USCPR and an even bigger victory for the movement for Palestinian rights. The JNF’s lawfare attack was meant to silence us, so we’ll raise our voices all the louder. Activists across the U.S. will keep mobilizing to end all U.S. military funding to the apartheid state of Israel.”
Center for Constitutional Rights Senior Attorney Diala Shamas: “This lawsuit was about punishing the US Campaign – and Palestinians – for daring to advocate for Palestinian rights and for supporting the Palestinian call to Boycott Israel. The D.C. Circuit, as did the court below, saw this suit for what it is, and issued a resounding rejection of plaintiffs’ smear campaign and their fantastical theory of liability not based in law or fact.”
Stay safe out there,
Michael
Under the FOIA one can request a copy of the unmodified report of the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Good for Sen. Chris Van Hollen. To ask for that report would have taken some courage, knowing what he is going against just to get to the truth out. It would be wonderful if there were others in Congress who also did the right thing and joined him, and made sure Shireen Abu Akleh’s family got justice for the assassination of their loved one, but there is silence from our “wonderful” members of Congress, who without doubt, would have been outraged had this been an Israeli reporter assassinated by the other side.
Shame on the White House for deliberately dragging their feet on this investigation, pretending to be “concerned”, but doing their best to protect the killers. This game of “concern” has been going on for years, and we know what the outcome will be. It will fizzle out like all other investigations of crimes against that apartheid nation. From any investigation to blocking resolutions at the UN, the United States of America has shielded that apartheid nation from being held accountable for the endless killings, which is outrageous considering we are the world’s greatest democracy always trying to preach to rogue nations that human rights and justice come first.
Politics in America, and attitudes toward BDS, will rapidly evolve when Palestinian citizens campaign for equal rights.