The Palestinian Authority will allow the United States to examine the bullet that killed Aljazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the news outlet reported Saturday.
Quoting Palestinian Authority Prosecutor-General Akram Khatib, the Qatari news site said American investigators will carry out a ballistic examination on the bullet extracted from the journalist’s head in May shortly after she died of her wounds.
Abu Akleh, 51, was a US citizen who lived in Jerusalem. She was killed during a shootout in Jenin between Palestinian Authority terrorists and Israeli military personnel.
Khatib said the PA decided to hand over the bullet after a call on Thursday between PA leader Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
He emphasized the bullet will not be handed over to Israel for separate analysis.
In his conversation with Abbas, Blinken “discussed President Biden’s upcoming trip to the Middle East” the State Department said in a statement.
Blinken “stressed the US commitment to improving the quality of life of the Palestinian people in tangible ways and the Administration’s support for a negotiated two-state solution,” the statement said, adding that the Secretary “also emphasized the importance of thorough, transparent, and impartial investigations into the circumstances of Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing,” the statement added.
