US State Department spokesman Ned Price commented on the Israeli army’s admission that there was a “high possibility” that one of its soldiers fired the bullets that killed Palestinian-American journalist Shirin Abu Akle on May 11. Al-Madi, “We welcome the Israeli investigation into this tragic incident and reiterate the importance of identifying those responsible for this case.”

And he clarified in a statement that “the definition of responsibilities should include, for example, policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future,” noting that “our thoughts remain with the Abu Aqil family as they mourn this difficult loss, and along with many others around the world, they have hosted Shirin and her news reports in their homes for more than two decades.

Price renewed the tribute to the late journalist, emphasizing that “Sherin was not only a US citizen, but also a courageous reporter whose journalistic professionalism and commitment to truth earned the respect of the public all over the world.”

The US position was formulated shortly after the Israeli army announced that its investigation found “there is a high possibility that Abu Akila was mistakenly hit by Israeli army fire targeting suspected Palestinian militants.” This confession comes after months in which the Israeli army insisted that it was impossible to determine the source of the bullet that killed Abu Akila.