Dear Friend,

I know you are as furious as I am about the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and the propaganda deployed to distract from the circumstances of her shooting. But there is something you can do right now to support justice for this Palestinian American journalist. You can call your U.S. Representative and ask them to sign onto the Carson, Correa, and Pascrell letter supporting a U.S. State Department and F.B.I. investigation into this American citizen's death.

Call the U.S. House Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, ask to be transferred to your Member's office. Once connected, tell the staffer that you're a constitutent and you want your Representative to sign the Carson, Correa, Pascrell letter to "Support a U.S. Investigation into the Death of Palestinian-American Journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh."

I have included the Carson, Correa, Pascrell letter below for your review. I am also including a link to the opinion piece [[link removed]] I just published in The Nation magazine for more background.

I hope you'll make this call. We must fight for Shireen and for justice for all Palestinians.

-Jim

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Support a U.S. Investigation into the Death of Palestinian-American Journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh

Letter Text

The Honorable Antony Blinken Mr. Christopher Wray

Secretary of State Director

U.S. Department of State Federal Bureau of Investigations

Washington, DC 20520 Washington, D.C. 20535

Dear Mr. Secretary and Director Wray

We are writing you regarding the recent death of Shireen Abu Akleh, a 51 year-old Palestinian American. Ms. Abu Akleh, a journalist for Al Jazeera, was fatally shot in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11, 2022. We request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into the death of Ms. Abu Akleh.

AP News reported that Ms. Abu Akleh was fatally shot in the head on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. Her producer, Palestinian journalist Ali Samoudi, was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the back. It was also reported that Palestinian journalists who were with Ms. Abu Akleh and Mr. Samoundi at the time said that they made their presence known to Israeli soldiers, and they did not see militants in the area. The Israeli military claimed that the victims were caught between gunfire between Palestinian militants and Israeli Defense Forces. However, media and eyewitnesses had conflicting reports. Shaza Hanaysheh, another Palestinian journalist among the reporters, also said that there were no clashes or shooting in the immediate area. News reports from the Washington Post , New York Times , CNN , and Aljazeera also highlight these conflicting reports.

As Members of Congress, we are deeply concerned by the death of Ms. Abu Akleh. Journalists worldwide must be protected at all costs. The U.S. State Department called Ms. Abu Akleh’s death “an affront to media freedom.” We welcome the actions and statements taken so far by the U.S. Department of State supporting a thorough investigation. However, given the tenuous situation in the region and the conflicting reports surrounding the death of Ms. Abu Akleh, we request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh’s death. We also request the U.S. Department of State determines whether any U.S. laws protecting Ms. Abu Akleh, an American citizen, were violated.

As an American, Ms. Abu Akleh was entitled to the full protections afforded to U.S. citizens living abroad. We, the undersigned Members of Congress, urge you to uphold the values that our nation was founded on, including human rights, equality for all, and freedom of speech. We have a duty to protect Americans reporting abroad. We look forward to your timely response.




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