Washington reiterates calls for “accountability” even as Israel ruled out a criminal investigation into the killing of a journalist.
The United States has opposed Al Jazeera’s push to secure accountability before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank earlier this year.
Hours after the network filed a request with the Hague court on Tuesday to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the killing of the Palestinian-American journalist, the US State Department said it opposed the move.
“We oppose this in this case,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Washington has long resisted Palestinian-led efforts to address Israeli abuses in international bodies, including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.
“We maintain our longstanding objections to the ICC’s investigation of the Palestinian situation,” Price said Tuesday when asked about Al Jazeera’s request to the court.
“The ICC should concentrate on its core task. And that core mission is to serve as the court of last resort in punishing and deterring atrocities.”
Abu Akleh was fatally shot by Israeli forces on May 11 during a raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Her assassination sparked worldwide condemnation and calls for justice.
Israel, which human rights groups accuse of having imposed a system of apartheid on the Palestinians, receives $3.8 billion in US security aid annually.
On Tuesday, Price reiterated a US call for “accountability” in the case.
“We’ve said time and time again that this needs to be investigated and that ultimately it needs to lead to accountability,” he said. “We continue to have discussions with our Israeli counterparts about the importance of accountability.”
But when Price was pressed to resist ICC involvement – as Israeli authorities have ruled out a criminal investigation into the killing of the US citizen – Price said “accountability in this context” refers to general “procedures” by the Israeli military, um To ensure protection non-combatants.
Al Jazeera has submitted the results of a 6-month investigation to the ICC, saying that journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was clearly targeted and intentionally killed by Israeli forces ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Xx4cWZSm9W
– Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 6, 2022
After the Israeli military admitted in September that one of its soldiers had likely killed Abu Akleh, Washington scaled back its call for accountability and instead pushed for an Israeli review of its military’s rules of engagement to mitigate civilian harm – a demand Israel has explicitly denied Leader.
Although Price insisted that the US position had been consistent, he had proposed a different definition of accountability in May. “Those responsible for Shireen’s murder should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he told reporters after Abu Akleh was killed.
Last month, Israeli officials said the FBI had opened an investigation into the murder and vowed not to cooperate with a US investigation.
But the US Justice Department has not confirmed the Israeli reports, and the State Department has distanced itself from the possible investigation, saying the move was outside its purview.
Earlier, the Biden administration has dismissed calls for an independent investigation and insisted Israel is able to investigate allegations of misconduct by its troops. Numerous US lawmakers, including some staunch Israel supporters, had urged Washington to launch its own investigation into the case.
Supporters of Palestinian rights stress that Israel must not be left alone to investigate its own human rights abuses and point to a long history of impunity for Israeli atrocities against Palestinians.