US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the goal of the investigation conducted by Washington into the killing of fellow Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Aqleh was not to please any party at the expense of another, and this comes after the issuance of a statement by the same ministry to avoid holding Israel responsible for Shirin's killing.
Price indicated that the aim of the investigation is to publish the conclusion reached by the American security coordinator, General Mark Schwartz, about Shirin Abu Akleh, explaining that the conclusion is that the bullet was most likely fired from an Israeli forces position, and that the projectile that was examined was very damaged, and the experts were unable to Determine its source.
The same spokesman added that the American investigation dealt with the summary of the two investigations conducted by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, where the security coordinator over the course of weeks granted access to both investigations, and concluded that Shireen was most likely killed by shooting from the position of the Israeli forces, and found no reason to believe that Shirin was killed. Shirin's killing on May 11 in Jenin refugee camp (in the northern West Bank) was premeditated.
The conclusion reached by the American coordinator had provoked angry Palestinian reactions, as several Palestinian parties described the results reached by the Americans as biased towards the Israeli occupation.
Investigations and claims
An investigation by Al-Jazeera revealed a photo of the bullet that was assassinated by colleague Shireen Abu Aqleh, and military experts indicated that the bullets used were of the armor-piercing type.
The investigation showed a re-simulation using 3D technology, to learn more about the type of bullet used, its caliber, and the type of guns likely to be used to fire this type of bullets.
Other investigations - carried out by the media and international bodies - showed a result identical to the investigation carried out by Al Jazeera.
In a related context, the Committee to Protect Journalists in the Middle East said that the US government should ensure that those responsible for the killing of Shireen Abu Aqleh, who holds Palestinian and American citizenship, are held accountable.
The committee's coordinator in the Middle East, Sherif Mansour, said that Washington should take the lead in investigating the death of the Al-Jazeera journalist in a transparent and fully credible manner.
The committee stressed that eyewitnesses told the committee that Israeli soldiers shot Shireen, which was confirmed by several investigations conducted by various media outlets, according to a statement by the committee.
It should be noted that colleague Abu Aqila was killed by a bullet to the head while covering one of the incursions of the occupation army into Jenin.