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The Palestinian Authority (PA) has rejected an Israeli request to hand over for examination the bullet it removed from the body of slain Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh. Civil Affairs Head Hussein al-Sheikh, responsible for relations with Jerusalem, said the PA would instead conduct an “independent” investigation itself.
The journalist was killed on Wednesday when Palestinians opened fire on Israeli forces seeking to carry out arrests in the West Bank city of Jenin. She reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to the head while covering the violence in the narrow streets of Jenin’s UNRWA-run refugee camp.
Israel had asked for the bullet in order to conduct forensic tests and determine what weapon killed Abu Akleh. Representatives of the Palestinian Authority and the United States, of which she was a citizen, would be allowed to observe the process.
Contradicting the conclusions of Palestinian coroners, Al-Sheikh said all signs indicate that the journalist was killed by IDF gunfire. However, he did not present evidence to back up his claim. PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas added that Ramallah would go to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to “punish the criminals.”
For his part, Defense Minister Benny Gantz has stated that preliminary findings from the IDF’s investigation indicate that Abu Akleh was not killed by Israeli forces, but rather by “indiscriminate shooting by Palestinian terrorists.” Unverified footage of Wednesday’s events shows Palestinian gunmen hailing the shooting of an Israeli soldier. Yet, the IDF maintains that no troops were hurt in the counter-terrorism operation.
On Thursday, Abu Akleh’s body was taken from Ramallah to Jerusalem for burial. Abbas spoke during the ceremony, held in accordance with Christian customs.
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A Palestinian was shot in Jerusalem’s Old City after charging officers while yelling “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greater” in Arabic), police said. The incident, which took place near the flashpoint Temple Mount holy site, happened as tensions peaked following the death of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank city of Jenin.
According to Israel Police, the Palestinian “lunged aggressively and ran quickly toward the officers stationed on the scene with an object in his hand, crying out ‘Allahu Akbar’ and waving his hands toward them in stabbing and attacking movements.”
The statement did not say if the suspect had been carrying a weapon.
Officers responded by opening fire, wounding the alleged assailant. He was rushed to Hadassah Mount Scopus in serious condition, a spokesperson for the hospital said.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, a Palestinian reportedly died after being hit by Israeli crowd control ammunition during clashes near Ramallah. The Israeli army said troops had fired rubber bullets at Palestinian rioters who were “throwing stones at an Israeli military outpost near the Psagot settlement.”
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In a move that averted possible new elections, Ra’am (United Arab List) head Mansour Abbas announced that his party would end the freeze on its membership in Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s coalition government.
The Islamist politician made his announcement following negotiations with Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid. “We reached understandings for the betterment of Arab society and Israelis in general,” Abbas said at a press conference.
Abbas had halted his party’s membership in the government last month following police activity on the Temple Mount. His return to the coalition came shortly before a planned vote on dissolving the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, which would have triggered elections.
As the proposal could only pass if Ra’am boycotted the vote, the opposition Likud party subsequently withdrew its bill. “We decided to come back and give an opportunity for the coalition agreements to be implemented,” Abbas explained.
Had the bill been defeated in the Knesset plenum on Wednesday, the Likud would not have been able to bring a Knesset dissolution bill to a vote again for six months.
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After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 upended the lives of Ukrainians, the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous fast-tracked its support for the country’s 15 remaining “Righteous Gentiles,” non-Jews who risked their own lives to save Jews during the Holocaust 80 years ago.
The US-based foundation doles out money to people certified to have helped Jews worldwide each year and had sent the first installment of $1,000 in early February. When war broke out, the organization agreed to expedite the rest of the year’s funding — $2,000 each, more than an average yearly pension — to the 15 rescuers in Ukraine.
One of the Righteous Gentiles passed away on March 31 in Kyiv at the age of 97, before volunteers had a chance to reach her. Although she died of natural causes, Executive Vice President Stanlee Stahl stated he was “sure the Russian bombing did not help.”
“We have a responsibility on behalf of the Jewish people to make sure that these Righteous Gentiles are taken care of in their time of need,” said Chairman Harvey Schulweis. “We have a moral and ethical responsibility to these men and women to be there for them when they were there for Jews during the Holocaust.”
Recommended Reading
- Journalist’s Death Will Become Excuse for Terror Attacks on Israel – Editorial (Jerusalem Post)
- Exclusive: Kate Winslet Misled Over Gaza Conflict Documentary (Richard Ferrer, Jewish News)
- Social Media Execs to Gather for ‘Palestine Digital Activism Forum’ Hosted by Group With ‘Terror’ Ties (Luke Rosiak, Daily Wire)
- Israeli Police Not Prepared for Day After PA’s Abbas (Liran Levy, Ynetnews)
- Ministers Push Plan For More Paid Paternity Leave to Reduce Wage Gap (Times of Israel)
