First, the Israel Defense Forces presented no evidence to support its claim that Abu Akleh’s killing was an accident or, as a senior Israeli official told reporters, “a mistaken identification.” Second, the IDF disputes its own finding, arguing that the shooting was aimed at Palestinian gunmen “during an exchange of fire in which dangerous, widespread and indiscriminate shots were fired at IDF soldiers.” In fact, detailed investigations by The Post, The New York Times and other independent groups—based on video, audio and eyewitness accounts—suggest that no Palestinian gunman was near Abu Akleh when she was shot in the back of the neck, nor had crossfire. noted there in the previous minutes. It remains the case that no evidence has emerged to suggest, as the Palestinian Authority has said, that Israeli forces involved in the May 11 incident targeted non-combatants or specifically Abu Akleh, a household name in the Arab world based on two decades of reporting. of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for Al Jazeera. But the absence of such evidence does not justify the Israeli army’s decision to close the case. Instead, it draws attention to the lack of research evidence being made public. No recording or transcript of any interview with an Israeli soldier has been made public, and no evidence of what either soldier saw, heard or believed when he opened fire on a group of civilians, including 51-year-old Abu Akleh, whose protective gear was identified as journalists. Nor has the Israeli military provided video, if any, from drones or body cameras that could shed light on the incident, despite requests from The Post. The Israeli military’s conclusion marks an almost complete reversal from its initial insistence that Palestinian gunmen likely killed Abu Akleh. It is in line with a similar finding reached two months ago by the US State Department, which, coming from the Jewish state’s most important ally, eased pressure to bring criminal charges against an IDF soldier or soldiers. But it should not be the last word on the incident in the West Bank city of Jenin, amid a military crackdown after weeks of Palestinian terror attacks claimed the lives of 17 Israelis. A truly independent investigation is needed. Israel should call the FBI to take over one. War correspondents regularly take risks in the course of their reporting. This does not justify shrugging our shoulders when someone dies in unjustifiable circumstances, as in the killing of Abu Akleh. Israeli and international human rights organizations have long denounced cases in which Israel’s soldiers and police evade accountability for wrongdoing. In this regard, it is notable that no Israeli official has been seriously punished for the chaos at Abu Akleh’s funeral in Jerusalem on May 13, when police beat Palestinian mourners carrying her coffin, causing it to almost be toppled. This error, and the questions left unanswered by Israel’s conclusion about the death of a respected journalist, further underscore the need for an outside investigation.
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Editorials represent the views of The Washington Post as an institution, as determined through discussion among the members of the Editorial Board, based on the Opinions section and separate from the newsroom. Editorial Board members and areas of focus: Associate Editorial Page Editor Karen Tumulty; Associate Editorial Page Editor Ruth Marcus; Associate Editorial Page Editor Jo-Ann Armao (education, DC affairs); Jonathan Capehart (national politics); Lee Hockstader (immigration, issues affecting Virginia and Maryland); David E. Hoffman (global public health); Charles Lane (foreign affairs, national security, international economy); Heather Long (finance); Molly Roberts (technology and society); and Stephen Stromberg (elections, White House, Congress, legal affairs, energy, environment, health care).
