Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.
Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.
1. Bills, Resolutions,
Letters
2. Members
Weigh in on Nakba Resolution
3. Hearings
4. On the Record
New from FMEP:
Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.
Dear Mr. Secretary and Director Wray
We are writing you regarding the recent death of Shireen Abu Akleh, a 51 year-old Palestinian American. Ms. Abu Akleh, a journalist for Al Jazeera, was fatally shot in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11, 2022. We request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into the death of Ms. Abu Akleh.
AP News reported that Ms. Abu Akleh was fatally shot in the head on the outskirts of the
Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. Her producer, Palestinian journalist Ali Samoudi, was hospitalized in
stable condition after being shot in the back. It was also reported that Palestinian journalists who were with Ms.
Abu Akleh and Mr. Samoundi at the time said that they made their presence known to Israeli soldiers, and they did
not see militants in the area. The Israeli military claimed that the victims were caught between gunfire between
Palestinian militants and Israeli Defense Forces. However, media and eyewitnesses had conflicting reports.
Shaza Hanaysheh, another Palestinian journalist among the reporters, also said that there were no clashes or
shooting in the immediate area. News reports from the Washington Post, New York
Times, CNN, and Aljazeera also highlight these conflicting reports.
As Members of Congress, we are deeply concerned by the death of Ms. Abu Akleh. Journalists worldwide must be protected at all costs. The U.S. State Department called Ms. Abu Akleh’s death “an affront to media freedom.” We welcome the actions and statements taken so far by the U.S. Department of State supporting a thorough investigation by the Israeli government. However, given the tenuous situation in the region and the conflicting reports surrounding the death of Ms. Abu Akleh, we request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh’s death. We also request the U.S. Department of State determines whether any U.S. laws protecting Ms. Abu Akleh, an American citizen, were violated.
As an American, Ms. Abu Akleh was entitled to the full protections afforded to U.S. citizens living abroad. We, the undersigned Members of Congress, urge you to uphold the values that our nation was founded on, including human rights, equality for all, and freedom of speech. We have a duty to protect Americans reporting abroad. We look forward to your timely response.
For those of us who care about peace between Israel and Palestine, last week was incredibly hard. We are outraged – first by the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu-Akleh during an IDF incursion in the West Bank town of Jenin, then by the violent attack by Israeli police on her funeral on Friday.
Freedom of the press is of paramount importance, particularly when conflicting narratives and biases often obscure the truth, as is the case in Israel-Palestine. The State Department has called Ms. Abu Akleh’s death “an affront to media freedom.” And while the State Department has made statements supporting a thorough investigation by the Israeli government, this is not enough. Americans for Peace Now has called for a swift and independent investigation of the circumstances that caused her death and now members of Congress, led by Representatives Andre’ Carson and Lou Correa, are requesting the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh’s death as well.
It is important that the United States protect Americans reporting abroad and that includes conducting independent investigations when a journalist is harmed.
Read the full text of the letter here.
Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.
1. Bills, Resolutions,
Letters
2.
Hearings
3. On the
Record
New from FMEP:
Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.
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