JNS
The inquiry found “a number of failures” in police handling of the funeral, but also praised decisions by officers on the scene.
The Israel Police announced on Wednesday the completion of its investigation into its handling of the May 13 funeral for Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed during a gun battle between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli Forces in Jenin two days earlier.
During her funeral, clashes erupted between funeral participants and Jerusalem police, whose use of riot dispersal methods drew widespread condemnation after footage of the incident appeared online.
The results of the investigation were presented to Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai and Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev, according to a police statement.
The investigation, the results of which have not been made public, exposed “a number of failures” in police conduct during the incident, Channel 12 reported on Thursday. At the same time, it added, the investigations committee also praised a number of decisions and actions by officers on the scene, noting that they risked their own safety and made a tangible effort to allow the funeral to take place in line with an agreement reached with organizers.
“The funeral procession of the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was a complex event,” Shabtai said in a statement. “We cannot remain aloof to the difficult images, and we must investigate so that sensitive events like these will not be disturbed by violence on the part of rioters, and that the status of the event is respected,” he added.
Caption: The funeral procession of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed during in Jenin during a clash between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen, at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, May 13, 2022.
Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
