Colombia’s Clan del Golfo Peace Talks Signal Mandatory Prison Sentences for Top Leaders 
Special Prosecutor Alleges Yoon Suk Yeol Sought North Korea Provocation to Justify Martial Law 
Thousands Protest in Brazil Against Efforts to Reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s Prison Sentence 
Supporters Gather Ahead of Verdict in Jimmy Lai’s Landmark Hong Kong National Security Trial 
Judge Orders Return of Seized Evidence in Comey-Related Case, DOJ May Seek New Warrant 
Zelenskiy Signals Willingness to Drop NATO Bid as Ukraine, U.S. Hold Crucial Peace Talks in Berlin 
Preservation Group Sues Trump Administration to Halt $300 Million White House Ballroom Project 
California, 18 States Sue to Block Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee 
Global Leaders Condemn Deadly Antisemitic Shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach During Hanukkah 
U.S. Special Forces Intercept Ship Carrying Military Components Bound for Iran 
Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Targets Senior Hamas Commander Amid Ceasefire Tensions 
Hong Kong Democratic Party Disbands After Member Vote Amid Security Crackdown 
U.S. Intelligence Briefly Curtailed Information Sharing With Israel Amid Gaza War Concerns 
U.S. Soldiers Killed in ISIS Attack in Palmyra, Syria During Counterterrorism Mission 
Belarus Frees 123 Political Prisoners in U.S.-Brokered Deal Over Sanctions 
International Stabilization Force for Gaza Nears Deployment as U.S.-Led Planning Advances 
Air Force One Delivery Delayed to 2028 as Boeing Faces Rising Costs 
In one of the latest incidents that flared up tensions between Israel and Palestine, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was murdered last month. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said an independent investigation must be done to bring accountability to the matter.
Blinken pledged to pursue accountability for Abu Akleh, the veteran journalist for Al Jazeera, who was fatally shot by Israeli forces on May 11. Abu Akleh was killed as she was covering an Israeli raid in the Jenin camp of the occupied West Bank, according to the journalist’s colleagues and witnesses.
“We are looking for an independent, credible investigation. When that investigation happens, we will follow the facts, wherever they lead. It’s as straightforward as that,” said Blinken, responding to a question by The Empire Files host Abby Edward at a forum for student journalists. Edward pressed Blinken on why Israel has not been held accountable for Abu Akleh’s killing.
“I deplore the loss of Shireen. She was a remarkable journalist, an American citizen,” Blinken added, noting that the facts surrounding the killing “have not yet been established.”
Blinken’s call for an independent investigation follows US President Joe Biden’s call for Israel to lead the investigation into Abu Akleh’s killing. Washington has also rejected Palestine’s calls for the International Criminal Court to make a broad investigation into potential war crimes committed by Israeli forces.
US Democratic lawmakers have since called on the FBI to launch its own investigation into Abu Akleh’s killing.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney also backed his Democratic counterpart Jon Ossoff in calling for the Biden administration to push for a “full and transparent investigation.”
Along with US lawmakers, a group of Israeli NGOs, scholars, and members of its civil society made formal requests to have two UN special rapporteurs probe Abu Akleh’s killing. A letter was signed by the groups addressed to the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Summary or Arbitrary Killings Morris Tidball-Binz and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.
The groups cite a number of cases where Palestinian journalists were found fatally shot or injured by Israeli forces with little to no accountability. At least 45 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since 2000, according to the Palestinian Information ministry. No Israeli soldier was held accountable for any of those killings.
