"Israeli police in Jerusalem on Friday stormed the funeral for Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
The Al Jazeera correspondent was fatally shot in the head while covering a military raid in Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank two days earlier, causing shock and anger among Palestinians and around the world.
Meanwhile, an Israeli officer was killed by Palestinian resistance fighters in Burqin, a Palestinian town near Jenin, on Friday.
Israel edged towards admitting that its forces were responsible for the legendary TV correspondent’s death after two days of attempting to deflect blame to Palestinians.
A group of independent UN human rights experts on Friday condemned Abu Akleh’s killing and demanded “a prompt, independent, impartial, effective, thorough and transparent investigation” into her death.
Another journalist, Ali Samoudi, was shot in the back during the same incident and was reported to be in stable condition.
“Authorities have an obligation not to harm journalists and to protect them from harm under international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” the experts said.
They added that Abu Akleh’s killing, which “may constitute a war crime,” should be probed as part of the International Criminal Court’s ongoing investigation in Palestine.
On Thursday, Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority, rejected calls for a joint investigation with Israel into Abu Akleh’s death “because they committed the crime and because we don’t trust them.”
He said that the PA “will go immediately to the International Criminal Court in order to track down the criminals.”
Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization, concluded after a preliminary field investigation that Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli soldiers and that “the murder … amounts to willful killing, a war crime” under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court."
"International law says people fighting for self-determination can use force in order to achieve their independence."
~ Norman Finkelstein
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I am not advocating violence but acknowledge the right of Palestinians to fight for their liberation as they see fit.
I read this elsewhere and still believe that Israel is solely responsible. More and more every day I have to ask what the hell is wrong with people.
And we bankroll their brutality.