Shireen Abu Akleh's Family Demands Meeting, Justice In Letter To US President

The family of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in a letter to US President Joe Biden demanded that he meet with them during his regional tour next week and help ensure that justice is served in the investigation of her killing, according to a copy of the letter posted on social media

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2022) The family of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in a letter to US President Joe Biden demanded that he meet with them during his regional tour next week and help ensure that justice is served in the investigation of her killing, according to a copy of the letter posted on social media.

"From the failure to immediately ensure an independent and impartial investigation, to the rushed hand-off of the bullet that killed Shireen without consultation let alone allowing us to have a representative present, which culminated in the July 4 statement adopting the conclusions and talking points of the Israeli government, your administration's engagement has served to whitewash Shireen's killing and perpetuate impunity," her brother wrote on behalf of Abu Akleh's family.

Arguing that all evidence pointed to Abu Akleh being killed by an Israeli soldier in an "extrajudicial killing," the family outlined five requests to the US president, namely to meet with them to directly hear their concerns during his upcoming visit to Jerusalem; provide them with all information gathered by his administration regarding the killing; retract the State Department's July 4 statement that the killing was likely unintentional; order Department of Justice agencies, including the FBI, to take action on the killing; and support their efforts to push for accountability and justice.

The family said that the Biden administration's lackluster actions thus far effectively condoned the shooting of Abu Akleh, further entrenching the Israeli state's "systemic impunity" toward unlawful killings of Palestinians, including those clearly identified as journalists like Abu Akleh.

A beloved veteran journalist at Al Jazeera Arabic, Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli-fired bullet to the head on May 11 while on assignment in the occupied Palestinian city of Jenin.