Al Jazeera asks International Court to identify journalist's killers

Al Jazeera on Tuesday said it has made a submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot during an Israeli raid in the West Bank in May.

The submission followed an investigation by the television news network's legal team, Al Jazeera said on Twitter.

The ICC must identify the individuals who were directly involved in Abu Akleh's killing, Al Jazeera lawyer Rodney Dixon KC told a news conference in The Hague on Tuesday.

The ICC's Office of the Prosecutor has been investigating possible war crimes and crimes against humanity by either the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) or Palestinian groups in the Palestinian Territories since March 2021. It confirmed on Tuesday it had received a communication from the Al Jazeera Media Network.

"Any individual or group may send information (communications) on alleged crimes to the ICC Prosecutor, who is duty bound to protect the confidentiality of the information received," it said in a statement.

"We do not provide comment on individual submissions."

The circumstances of Abu Akleh's killing are disputed.

Palestinian officials and Abu Akleh's family have said they believe she was killed deliberately by Israeli forces and have rejected Israeli statements that there were militants around where she was standing.

Israel's military said in September that she was likely unintentionally shot by an Israeli soldier but could have also been hit by Palestinian fire.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday, "No one will interrogate IDF soldiers and no one will preach to us about morals of combat, certainly not the Al Jazeera network."

On the other hand, the United States has opposed Al Jazeera's push to ensure accountability at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, reports Al Jazeera. 

"We oppose it in this case," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.

Washington has long stood against Palestinian-led efforts to take up Israeli abuses with international bodies, including the United Nations and the ICC.