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WASHINGTON (JTA) — In an uncommon public broadside towards dozens of Congress members, Israel’s ambassador to Washington mentioned a letter calling for a U.S. investigation into the killing of a Palestinian American journalist was not a “honest” illustration of the occasion.
Michael Herzog was responding to a letter despatched Thursday by 57 Home Democrats to Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, and Christopher Wray, the FBI director. It referred to as for an investigation into the loss of life final week of Shireen Abu Akleh, a honored Al Jazeera reporter killed throughout an Israeli military raid on the West Financial institution city of Jenin.
Israel has mentioned it has narrowed the seemingly sources of fireplace to 2: a jeep carrying Israeli troopers, or a bunch of Palestinian militants returning fireplace. It needs the Palestinian Authority at hand over the bullet that killed Abu Akleh so it could actually take a look at it towards the weapons of the troopers within the jeep. The Palestinian Authority squarely blames Israel for the killing and won’t hand over the bullet.
The letter seems to low cost the Israeli model of the killing. “The Israeli navy claimed that the victims had been caught between gunfire between Palestinian militants and Israeli Protection Forces,” the letter mentioned. “Nonetheless, media and eyewitnesses had conflicting reviews.” The letter was spearheaded by Reps. Andre Carson of Indiana, Lou Correa of California and Invoice Pascrell of New Jersey,
The letter referred to eyewitnesses who mentioned the journalists made themselves identified to Israeli forces and mentioned that there was no trade of fireplace within the space on the time of the taking pictures.
“Ms. Abu Akleh was entitled to the total protections afforded to U.S. residents residing overseas,” the letter concluded. It urged Blinken and Wray to “uphold our nation’s values, together with human rights, equality for all, and freedom of speech.”
Herzog decried the letter in a launch Friday. He mentioned the letter “doesn’t supply a good illustration of the case, ignores vital context of the occasions resulting in Ms. Abu Akleh’s tragic loss of life and reaches the improper conclusion.”
“The letter ignores the truth that Israel has, from the outset, referred to as for an neutral joint Israeli-Palestinian investigation with the U.S. in an observer function,” he continued. “Our name was flatly rejected by the P.A.”
An envoy focusing on a congressional letter signed by 1 / 4 of the members of one of many events is uncommon. Herzog’s remarks got here as the federal government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is striving to heal the distrust between Democrats and his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu.
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