The family of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, who was shot dead on May 11 while covering clashes between IDF soldiers and terrorists in Jenin, spoke in front of the US Capitol alongside several Democratic lawmakers on Thursday to demand a US-led investigation into her killing, Haaretz reported.
The members of the family spoke alongside Reps. Andre Carson, Betty McCollum, Marie Newman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley.
The gathering came two days after members of Abu Aqleh’s family met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to demand justice for her death. US President Joe Biden declined to meet with the family members during his recent trip to the Middle East.
Democratic Rep. Andre Carson framed Abu Aqleh's killing as an attack on the press and said that since Israel has been denying its involvement since "day one" it is important the US run their own investigation. Carson said that "Every American killed abroad deserves justice. Palestinians included," and announced his intention to introduce standalone legislation aimed at pursuing justice for Abu Aqleh.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, notorious for her anti-Israel statements, asserted that Abu Aqleh's death was not an accident.
"This is the life of Palestinians in Israel. Even after death the dehumanization doesn't stop," she said. Tlaib chastised colleagues who, she said, "need to take out the word Palestinian from Palestinian American for Aqleh’s life to matter."
Tlaib was quick to blame Israel for Abu Aqleh’s death soon after the shooting incident, accusing Israel of murder in a post on Twitter.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley said she was "devastated" that instead of gathering to celebrate Abu Aqleh's journalistic achievements, they gather in "outrage and collective grief over her murder."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also a notorious critic of Israel, echoed the family's call "for the Biden administration to have this investigation led by the FBI and the Department of Justice, including human rights and special prosecution section, which are tasked with investigating war crimes against US citizens.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, who along with Tlaib was barred entry to Israel in 2019 due to her constant anti-Israel actions, said that Abu Aqleh's death "is bigger than one person or country, but about our values as Americans."
Omar added that it was not acceptable for President Biden to not extend an invitation to the Abu Aqleh family and that promising to keep them informed about developments regarding the case was "not enough."
Israel has stated that without access to the bullet which killed her it is impossible to know which side fired the shot. The Palestinian Authority (PA) initially refused Israel’s request to launch a joint probe to investigate the incident, and instead released the findings of its investigation, claiming that she was shot by IDF forces.
Earlier this month, the PA finally agreed to a forensic investigation by the US of the bullet that they claim killed Abu Aqleh.
The State Department said several days later, based on a probe by the US Security Coordinator (USSC), that Abu Aqleh was likely killed by gunfire from Israeli positions but that it was probably unintentional and it could not be said for certain.
In June, just under half of all Democratic senators wrote to Biden to ask for the “direct involvement” of the United States in the investigation of Abu Aqleh’s death.
Three weeks earlier, a bipartisan group of 25 members of Congress called on the Biden administration to demand that the Palestinian Authority provide access to forensic evidence in Abu Aqleh’s death, so that an independent investigation can take place.