“The State of Israel offers its condolences following the death of Shireen Abu Akleh,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement issued Thursday night, noting that “the IDF is conducting an ongoing investigation into the matter in order to reveal the truth,” and “any claim that the IDF intentionally harms journalists or uninvolved civilians, is a blatant lie.”
Earlier on Thursday, Palestinian Authority Attorney General Akram Al-Khatib said that based on the Public Prosecution’s report on the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, it had been established that the Al Jazeera journalist was killed by an armor-piercing projectile fired directly at her head by an Israeli sniper while she was trying to escape, although she was wearing a helmet and a vest that was clearly marked with the word “PRESS.”
Al-Khatib claimed that the bullet that killed Abu Akleh is a 5.56mm round with a steel component used by NATO forces, and insisted that the Palestinian Authority will not hand the bullet over to Israel. He was adamant in saying the bullet was fired from 170-200 meters away by a sniper with a clear line of sight, and the bullet had general and specific markings that match a Mini Ruger semi-automatic sniper weapon.
Of course, without being able to examine the bullet, Israeli forensic experts can’t determine what weapon was used to fire it at Abu Akleh. Al-Khatib insists the weapon in question had to be a Mini Ruger because everybody on both sides is using 5.56mm rounds, but only the IDF uses the Mini Ruger.
However, there’s an inherent problem with Al-Khatib’s claim that an Israeli sniper used the Mini Ruger because the Mini Ruger is essentially a scaled-down version of the M14 that’s intended for use by law enforcement or as a ranch rifle – definitely not a weapon a sniper would choose to kill folks from 200 meters. Indeed, the weapon’s specs mention 200 meters as its maximum effective range, whereas a high-power rifle would be more suitable for long-distance shooting.
DM Gantz said in response to Al-Khatib’s outlandish statements: “The IDF is operating against murderous terrorism, which in recent weeks has claimed the lives of 20 people. Many of the terrorists who conducted the attacks came from the Jenin area, which is where the incident took place. We always act with precision, targeting terrorists and taking measures to avoid harm to civilians. We will continue operating in this manner.”
“Investigations and briefings are not carried out at press conferences, but rather in closed rooms, and while transmitting information,” Gantz said, stressing that “despite multiple requests from Israel, the Palestinians refuse to cooperate, which raises the question of whether they really want to uncover the truth.”
“Even today,” he said, “I call on the Palestinian Authority to hand over the bullet and all their findings. To this day, we are prepared and willing to conduct an investigation in collaboration with international actors.”
But the other side has no interest in an honest investigation. They’d much rather milk this thing for all it’s worth while the complicit media cheer them on.
