“Overdue but necessary,” US Senator welcomes FBI opening investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing

Washington (QNN)- US Senator Chris Van Hollen has described the FBI opening an investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh as “overdue but necessary” step in the pursuit of justice in the case.

Despite wearing a protective helmet and blue bulletproof vest clearly marked as “PRESS,” the 51-year-old veteran journalist was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the head while she was covering an Israeli military raid into the Jenin refugee camp on May 11, sparking international outrage and calls for accountability for attacks on journalists.

There have been several reports by Israeli and US media outlets on Monday that the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) recently informed Israeli occupation authorities that the FBI has opened an investigation into the killing of the veteran journalist.

The FBI investigation could lead to a U.S. request to investigate the Israeli soldiers who were involved in the operation — a request ‘Israel’ would almost certainly reject, according to Axios.

Israeli War Minister Benny Gantz called the FBI decision “a grave mistake” and said ‘Israel’ will refuse to cooperate.

“The IDF conducted an independent and professional investigation. I have made it clear to the U.S. government that we won’t cooperate with any external investigation and won’t allow any interference in Israel’s internal affairs,” he added in a tweet on Monday.

In a Monday tweet, the US Senator wrote, “This is an overdue but necessary and important step in the pursuit of justice and accountability in the shooting death of American citizen and journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh.”

This is an overdue but necessary and important step in the pursuit of justice and accountability in the shooting death of American citizen and journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh. https://t.co/2XMKeRVbRu

— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) November 14, 2022

Chris Van Hollen has been leading calls for a Washington-led probe into the killing.

In June, Van Hollen and twenty-three of his Senate colleagues urged President Joe Biden to ensure the “direct involvement” of the US in the investigation of the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh.

In their letter – which was sent ahead of Biden’s visit to ‘Israel’ and the West Bank, the lawmakers stressed the importance of an independent, thorough, and transparent investigation and underscored the need for U.S. involvement to ensure that all parties have confidence in the findings.

The Senators initiated their letter by noting that “it has now been over a month since American citizen and journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot to death while reporting on an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin. Since that time, there has been no significant progress toward the establishment of an independent, thorough, and transparent investigation into her killing.”