US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday spoke with the family of Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in Jenin last week during a clash between IDF troops and Palestinian terrorists.
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The Palestinian Authority and the Qatari network have accused Israel of deliberately killing the veteran journalist, who was a household name in the Arab world.
The IDF maintains that given that Palestinian terrorists were firing indiscriminately during the raid, Abu Akleh could have been hit by a Palestinian bullet, but Ramallah's own "review" of the events placed the blame on Israel's shoulders. The PA has refused to launch a joint investigation into the shooting and has further refused to allow Israel to examine the bullet recovered from Abu Akleh's body – a step crucial to determine culpability.
Israel further faced global backlash after police forces clashed with mourners and rioters during Abu Akleh's funeral in east Jerusalem on Friday. The procession was one of the biggest Palestinian funerals held in the capital in a decade.
In a video of the call released by the reporter's family, Blinken is heard saying, "I was very dismayed by the images of Israeli forces attacking the funeral procession. … That's a concern I've also raised with the government of Israel [and] we've also asked for an immediate and full investigation, [to ensure] full accountability."
Abu Akleh was an American citizen, which is why Blinken contacted the family. Washington's top diplomat also called her death "a great loss" and a "totally unnecessary tragedy."
The Foreign Ministry held a special "damage control" meeting on Monday over the event surrounding Abu Akleh's death.
Officials privy to the discussion said that while the event is unlikely to have diplomatic implications, is has dealt Israel's international image a massive blow. The images of the clashes at the funeral undermined the partial success Israel had in raising doubt about who had cause her death.
Even prior to Blinken's call to Abu Akleh's family, the Foreign Ministry was concerned by the Biden administration's public criticism of Israel over the tragedy.
Further criticism was leveled at the police, especially over the fact that senior officers were not on the ground, despite knowing the funeral was a high-profile event.
"The police knew this would be a high-profile event in an international level. A briefing was held the evening prior to the funeral but despite that, there were no senior commanders on the ground – not the police chief or his deputy, nor the district chief or his deputy," one Foreign Ministry official told Israel Hayom.
Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai ordered a review of the events that took place during the May 13 funeral procession and the Foreign Ministry is "still waiting for the results," the official said.
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