FBI’s Silence on Israeli Killing of Journalist Abu Akleh Is Unacceptable, CPJ Warns

The FBI’s sluggish and opaque investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is raising serious alarms about US commitment to protecting its citizens and upholding justice. In a scathing open letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Kash Patel, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for a public update on the probe and slammed the “effectively stagnant status” of the case as “troubling.”

Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American correspondent known for her fearless reporting in the occupied West Bank, was shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid in Jenin on May 11, 2022. Wearing a clearly marked press vest, she was targeted in an attack that multiple independent investigations—including those by CNN, The Associated Press, and The Washington Post—have concluded was deliberate.

Despite the gravity of the incident and the willingness of witnesses to cooperate, the FBI has yet to conduct formal interviews or gather evidence on the ground in Israel or Palestine. The CPJ’s letter bluntly states this lack of “concrete progress” is a failure by the US government to respond adequately to the killing of one of its citizens by a foreign military.

Israel’s own military has admitted it cannot “unequivocally determine” the source of the fatal gunfire but acknowledged a “high possibility” that Abu Akleh was hit by Israeli soldiers. Meanwhile, the Israeli government continues to deflect responsibility by accusing journalists of militant ties—a tactic CPJ calls “deadly smears” used to justify attacks on the press.

Abu Akleh’s death has become a symbol of the broader Palestinian struggle and the perils journalists face reporting from conflict zones. Since her killing, at least 258 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israeli forces, with little to no accountability. CPJ’s regional director Sara Qudah warns that “the prevailing culture of complete impunity enjoyed by Israel” fuels ongoing attacks on journalists and silences truth through violence.

Abu Akleh’s family echoed the frustration, stating that “justice remains elusive,” and the lack of accountability sends a “dangerous message that journalists can be targeted without consequence.” The CPJ demands an impartial, independent investigation free from political interference, a clear timeline for the FBI probe, and the public release of its findings.

The FBI’s failure to act decisively in this case is more than bureaucratic inertia. It signals a willingness to look the other way when an American journalist is killed by an ally’s military, undermining US credibility on human rights and press freedom. We should not tolerate silence or stonewalling when the truth and justice for Shireen Abu Akleh hang in the balance.