Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai on Saturday announced an investigation into the actions of troops on the ground during the funeral of an Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in Jerusalem on Friday, following an international outcry over videos showing security forces clashing with mourners and protesters during the procession, to the point of almost making pallbearers drop the casket.
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The police accused the Palestinians of "manufacturing violent provocation," noting that they had planned for a "calm and dignified" funeral for the slain journalist but "hundreds of rioters tried to sabotage the ceremony and harm the police.
"The police acted against a group of rioters who tried to disrupt the funeral, contrary to any agreement with the family. Even before the funeral procession began, rioters gathered at the hospital bar, chanting slogans of incitement and throwing stones. They damaged the hearse."
Announcing the investigation into the clash, the police said it would be "looking into the events that ensued during the funeral. The Israel Police supports its police officers, but as a professional organization that seeks to learn and improve, we will also draw conclusions and learn lessons from the incident."
Police officials expressed anger over the decision to launch an investigation, saying that Public Security Minister Omer Barlev had pressured Shabtai to do so.
"Troops on the ground were attacked with stones, planks and other things – there's plenty of footage we haven't released yet – but instead of issuing a statement of support for the police, we have to face another internal investigation," one officer said of Barlev.
Abu Akleh's death sent shockwaves around the world and gave rise to fierce debates over who fired the fatal shot she sustained while covering an IDF raid on terrorists' homes in the West Bank city of Jenin – an Islamic Jihad stronghold.
The Palestinian Authority has refused Israel's repeated requests to hold a joint investigation and has further refused to hand over the bullet extracted from the body for testing – a step vital for determining culpability.
Officials from the Al-Jazeera network accused Israel of deliberately killing the much-admired veteran journalist, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he would move for the International Criminal Court to investigate the incident.
Israel maintains that there is a distinct possibility Abu Akleh's was hit by indiscriminate gunfire from Palestinian terrorists.
Images of the clashes at the funeral did little to aid Israel's damage control efforts over the incident.
The journalist's death earned condemnation from the UN Security Council, which called for an "immediate, thorough, transparent, and fair and impartial investigation."
The White House described footage from the Jerusalem funeral as "deeply disturbing," with Israeli media citing Washington sources as saying that there was "anger and frustration at the actions of Israeli police" during the funeral.
"We have all seen those images, they're obviously deeply disturbing," Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. "We regret the intrusion of what should have been a peaceful procession. We have urged respect for the funeral procession, the mourners, and the family at this sensitive time," Psaki said.
Asked if she condemned the Israeli forces' actions, she responded: "I think when we said they were disturbing, we obviously were not justifying them."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was "deeply troubled by the images of Israeli police intruding into the funeral procession of Palestinian American Shireen Abu Akleh. Every family deserves to lay their loved ones to rest in a dignified and unimpeded manner," he added.
The attack by Israeli forces against mourners at the funeral of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is an outrage. The United States must condemn this, and demand an independent investigation into her killing.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 13, 2022
Democratic Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, who chairs the Senate subcommittee dealing with the Middle East, tweeted, "I haven't heard any credible explanation why this level of force was used on these mourners. What happened is unacceptable."
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren also condemned the incident.
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Meanwhile, a Palestinian official said Saturday that the PA would welcome the "international involvement" in the investigation of Abu Akleh's death.
Palestinian Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh tweeted, ""We welcome the participation of all international bodies in the investigation of the assassination of Shireen Abu Aqleh, by communicating with the specialized Palestinian Public Prosecution."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
