Romney, Ossoff call for probe into journalist's killing in West Bank
Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) have sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking him to launch an investigation into the death of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
In their letter sent on Monday, the lawmakers asked the State Department to launch a “full and transparent” probe into Akleh’s death, also calling for accountability as well.
Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran journalist who worked for Al Jazeera’s Arabic language channel, was shot and killed last month after being struck in the head by a bullet during a raid conducted by the Israeli military.
Abu Akleh was covering the Israeli military raid for Al Jazeera in the city of Jenin, a city that is controlled by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank region of the country.
“The killing of a U.S. citizen and of a journalist engaged in the work of reporting in a conflict zone is unacceptable,” the senators wrote in their letter. “All over the world, journalists pursue truth and accountability at great personal risk. Press freedom is a core American value, and we cannot accept impunity when journalists are killed in the line of duty. We insist that the Administration ensure a full and transparent investigation is completed and that justice is served for Ms. Akleh’s death.”
The senators also insisted on the Biden Administration to ensure “a full and transparent investigation” into Akleh’s killing, asking for an update within a 30-day span.
This comes as U.S. officials such as President Biden have publicly condemned the killing of Akleh, also asking for an investigation to determine who is accountable for Akleh’s death.
Israeli authorities have also launched a separate investigation into Akleh’s killing, with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett saying that Palestinian armed forces might have caused the veteran’s journalist’s death.
Source: TEST FEED1
