The Palestinian Authority rejected the inconclusive findings of a U.S. investigation into the killing of Palestinian American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.
The U.S. State Department said Monday an American investigation had found the bullet that killed the Al Jazeera television journalist was too badly damaged to offer a definitive conclusion as to who was responsible for her death.
Palestinian Acting Attorney General Akram Hassan Al-Khateeb issued a statement expressing his “surprise” at the findings.
Abu Akleh was shot dead while reporting on an Israeli military operation in the West Bank town of Jenin in May. The Palestinian Authority said Israel killed Abu Akleh. Israel has said Palestinian militants may have been responsible for her death.
The Palestinian Authority released the bullet that killed her last week to Michael Fenzel, the U.S. security coordinator responsible for Israel and the Palestinian authority, for investigation.
Gunfire from Israeli army positions was “likely responsible” for Abu Akleh’s death, the U.S. statement said, but the investigators weren’t able to “reach a definitive conclusion regarding the origin of the bullet.”
The U.S. State Department said it found no reason to believe the killing was intentional, “but rather the result of tragic circumstances.”
