The Palestinian Authority on Saturday said it has given the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to American forensic experts, taking a step toward resolving a standoff with Israel over the investigation into her death.
Abu Akleh, a veteran correspondent who was well known throughout the Arab world, was fatally shot while covering an Israeli military raid on May 11 in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinians, along with Abu Akleh's colleagues who were with her at the time, say she was killed by Israeli fire.
The Israeli army says that she was caught in the crossfire of a battle with Palestinian gunmen, and that it is impossible to determine which side killed her without analyzing the bullet. The Palestinians have refused to turn over the bullet, saying they don't trust Israel.
The Palestinian attorney general, Akram al-Khatib, said the bullet was given to U.S. experts “for technical work.” He reiterated the Palestinian refusal to share the bullet with the Israelis.
Al-Khatib said the Palestinians welcome the participation of any international bodies to “help us confirm the truth."
“We are confident and certain of our investigations and the results we have reached,” he said.
It was not immediately clear what the American experts could discover without also studying the Israeli weapon that Israel says might have fired the shot. There was no immediate word from Israel on whether it would share the rifle.
The Palestinian announcement comes just over a week before President Joe Biden is to visit the region.
A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a diplomatic matter, said the issue was raised in a phone call between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and that both sides hope to resolve the issue before Biden's visit.
