Indisputable Evidence: Israeli Cold-Blooded Murder of Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh Last May

by Stephen Lendman

On May 11 in the West Bank city of Jenin, an apartheid Israeli sniper assassinated Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

There's nothing accidental about cold-blooded murder, a longstanding Israeli specialty. 

It's been this way during the run-up to establishing a Jewish state on stolen Palestinian land, as well as what's gone on throughout its blood-stained history internally, in Occupied Palestine and abroad.

Israeli soldiers and other security forces have virtual carte blanche approval to murder or brutalize Palestinians with impunity — for praying to the wrong God.

When murdered, Shireen was wearing a clearly visible vest marked "PRESS," along with a flak jacket and helmet.

So an Israeli sniper targeted an unprotected part of her head, knowing that the shot most likely would be fatal.

In an earlier article, I quoted Dr. Rayyan al-Ali, director of the Forensic Medicine Institute at An-Najah University in Nablus city, explaining the following: 

"(D)isfigured shrapnel was found inside (Abu Akleh's) brain."

It "indicates that the bullet may be a type only available and used by the IOF." 

The Al Haq human rights group stressed the following:

Assassinating Shireen was "a grave breach of international humanitarian law (as well as) an attack on journalism (and) freedom of expression."

Israeli targeting of Palestinian journalists, activists and others seen as potentially challenging its apartheid ruthlessness is longstanding practice by its ruling regimes to silence their truth-telling voices — with full support and encouragement by the empire of lies and forever wars. 

On Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported the following:

"A joint investigation by a London-based multidisciplinary research group and a Palestinian rights group uncovered further evidence that refutes Israel's account that the killing of…Shireen Abu Akleh was a mistake."

"Forensic Architecture and Al-Haq said that (her) killing was deliberate (while) covering an (IDF) raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank."

Their analysis showed the precise angle of fire by an Israeli sniper.

Continuing for around two minutes in three bursts, the first fired six bullets, then seven more eight seconds later.

One of those rounds killed Shireen, the sniper's intended target.

Moments later, three more bullets were fired on individuals who tried to rescue her.

At a Tuesday press conference on Shireen's cold-blooded murder, Al Haq reported the following:

"The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Center of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), and Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) will deliver a new (formal) legal complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and shooting of Palestinian journalist Ali Samoudi, on behalf of Abu Akleh's family and Samoudi."

As these and likeminded organizations know,  the complaint will achieve nothing positive.

Even on rare occasions when international courts side with complainants against aggressors like US-dominated NATO and apartheid Israel, their ruling regimes ignore them, justice never following in any form.

The empire of lies and forever wars protects apartheid Israel, no matter how egregious its crimes of war, against humanity and related atrocities — granting its ruling regimes virtual immunity from accountability.

With this reality in mind, Al Haq still "prepared a legal brief highlighting that the Israeli Occupying Forces' (IOF) intentional targeting of the journalists, including Shireen Abu Akleh, is clearly in violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law." 

"Specifically, the targeting and killing of Shireen" was willful cold-blooded murder.

What happened flagrantly breached Fourth Geneva.

It's an indisputable war crime under the Rome Statute.

Her killing was one among many thousands of other grievous Israeli  crimes against Palestinians, Syrians and other invented enemies — what's gone on throughout Jewish state history.

Longstanding Israeli policy authorizes "shoot-to-kill policy and excessive use of force against Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line," Al Haq stressed.

Weeks earlier, the Lapid regime whitewashed Shireen's cold-blooded murder — falsely claiming that she was not deliberately targeted, ignoring indisputable evidence proving otherwise.

The regime's so-called military advocate general's office said the following:

"There is no suspicion that a criminal offense was committed (sic) so no investigation will be conducted."

In support of Israeli apartheid, the Biden regime also whitewashed Shireen's cold-blooded murder by refusing to hold Israel accountable.

In early September, the Lapid regime falsely claimed that Shireen was killed during clashes between Palestinians and IDF soldiers.

No armed Palestinians were near where she was killed, no shots fired by the Palestinian side against Israeli soldiers.

She was targeted for assassination to silence her truth-telling reports about Israeli apartheid ruthlessness.

A Final Comment

On September 5, B'tselem reported the following on Shireen's killing, saying:

Her cold-blooded murder by an Israeli sniper was "the predictable result of Israel's outrageous open fire policy in the Occupied Territories."

"This policy claims more and more victims while the whitewash continues undisturbed."

Her killing "was no mistake."

"It's (official Israeli) policy."

Its "unjustified use of lethal force conveys Israel's deep disregard for the lives of Palestinians and facilitates (its) continued violent control over millions of Palestinians" by unrestrained brute force.

Israeli regimes do whatever they please with no concern about accountability.

Palestinians have practically no chance for justice, no matter the gravity of crimes committed against them.

After years of filing complaints to Israel's military law enforcement system and being consistently rebuffed, B'Tselem halted the practice in 2016, saying:

It would no longer play a part "in the system's charade."

There's no "point in pursuing justice and defending human rights by working with a system whose real function is measured by its ability to continue to successfully cover up unlawful acts and protect perpetrators."

At the same time, B'Tselem continues to advocate accountability, but (pursues it) without applying to the military justice system."

Its staff "continues to document incidents, collect testimonies and publicize its findings."

"It goes without saying that the authorities' duty to investigate remains as it was."

"It also goes without saying that (Israeli) authorities continue to systematically and overwhelmingly abdicate this responsibility."

That's how the scourge of apartheid ruthlessness operated against long-suffering Palestinians throughout Jewish state history.

Justice withheld is justice denied.

It's always been this way for Palestinians in a Jewish state — a ruthless one that's indifferent toward and hostile to their rights under international law because they're largely Muslims, not Jews.