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Fear: Al-Jazeera reporter's death will provoke more violence Israel today

2022-05-11T21:06:29.343Z


Palestinians accuse: Journalist Sheerin Abu-Akla was killed by IDF fire in Jenin • Lt. Col. Kochavi appointed a team to investigate the incident: : "The State of Israel for the Truth. Up to this moment they refuse, perhaps in order to hide the truth "


The incident in which al-Jazeera reporter Sheerin Abu-Akla was killed may have very disturbing political implications for Israel - but there is also a grave fear in the area that the incident will provoke the continuation of violence, which Israel has been trying to calm down in recent weeks.

Preliminary specifications of the incident indicate that a force from the "Cherry" unit was operating there, which entered the Jenin refugee camp with the aim of arresting an Islamic Jihad operative.

Fire was opened at the soldiers and Molotov cocktails were also thrown at them, and the force in turn returned fire.

On the face of it, this is a relatively routine occurrence as part of Operation Breakwater, in the midst of particularly tense days in the Jenin area, from which quite a few casualties have emerged in the past two months.

But the death of al-Jazeera journalist, wearing a protective vest with the caption Press, requires a very in-depth investigation.

To date, no videos of the incident itself have been released, only videos of Palestinian gunmen firing in Jenin - and it is unclear whether at or near the time of the incident.

Other videos showed the journalist herself evacuated from the scene after her fatal injury.

Palestinian journalists who were near her claimed that she was wounded by IDF soldiers, and that at the time of the shooting there was no activity of Palestinian gunmen on the spot.

With the caption Press on the protective vest.

The heroic journalist, from the report in Al-Jazeera, Photo: AFP

"Boasting of harming a soldier"

The IDF Spokesman's first response to the journalist's death stated that IDF, GSS and Border Police forces were operating in the Jenin refugee camp, near the village of Burkin.

According to the same statement, as part of the operation, suspects fired massively at the force and threw explosives, while the force returned fire and injuries were identified.

"The possibility that journalists were injured is being investigated, possibly by Palestinian gunfire. The incident is clear," the statement said.

At this point, at least, the IDF did not state that they were taking the incident seriously, nor did they express regret over Abu Akala's death.

An IDF spokesman, Lt. Col. Avichai Edrei, later tweeted in Arabic on his Twitter account: "It appears - according to initial estimates - that she was hit by Palestinian gunfire, not IDF gunfire."

Lt. Col. Edrei also wrote that "in the videos distributed by the Palestinian militants in Jenin, indiscriminate gunfire was seen, and they boast that they hit a soldier and he is lying on the ground, even though the only casualty in the incident is the journalist."

The IDF called on the Palestinians to investigate the issue in a joint pathological investigation. "The State of Israel is in favor of the truth.

Until that moment, they refuse, perhaps in order to hide the truth. "

The documentation reveals - the journalist in Jinin was hit by the terrorists' fire

"No shooting reported"

Against the background of the events of the night, the Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Aviv Kochavi, went down to the field yesterday.

He toured the Judea and Samaria Division and the Seam Area, and conducted a preliminary investigation of the activity conducted in the Jenin refugee camp.

According to an IDF Spokesman, Lt. Col. Kochavi "instructed to act, find out and investigate the incident using all the tools at our disposal, in order to arrive at an investigation of the truth."

It was also reported that the chief of staff appointed a dedicated team led by the commando brigadier general, Colonel Manny Liberty, to investigate the incident.

"IDF units are working day after day with determination, thwarting terrorism and preventing terrorist attacks," said Lt. Col. Kochavi.

"The activity takes place wherever it is needed, especially in the Jenin area where there is a high concentration of terrorists. During the night activity, as in many other incidents, the Palestinians fired extensively at our forces, wild and indiscriminate firing in every direction. Unlike Palestinians, IDF soldiers Performs professional and selective shooting.

The reporter who was killed was at the scene.

At this stage it is not possible to determine from which shooting she was hit, and we are sorry for her death. "

Chief of Staff Kochavi further stated that “in order to get to the truth, we have set up a special team that will clarify the facts and present them in full and as soon as possible.

"The fighters acted under fire tonight and showed courage and determination to protect the citizens of the country - and so we will continue wherever we are required."

Defense Minister Bnei Gantz addressed the Knesset plenum yesterday and expressed regret over Abu Akala's death:

We will pass on the findings we have in a transparent and clear manner to both our American friends and the Palestinian Authority. "

Avoid long-term damage

The damage caused to Israel by the journalist's unfortunate death joins two events during Operation Wall Guard exactly a year ago, which undermined Israel's legitimacy and its relations with the international media: One, the overthrow of al-Jalaa Tower in the Gaza Strip, Claimed that the place had terrorist infrastructure);

The second, incorrect information provided by an IDF representative to the foreign media, which was interpreted as an attempt to use it to deceive Hamas.

In light of the great potential damage, calls were made last night for the establishment of a commission of inquiry with international involvement, and not just a MPI investigation.

Meanwhile, the IDF did indicate that an internal investigation would be opened and an investigation committee was appointed, but mainly focused on accusing the Palestinians of refusing to jointly investigate the incident.

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Source: israelhayom

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