Arab journalist unions slam US report on Shireen Abu Akleh

Arab journalists' unions have called for justice for slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh after an official US report said her killing by Israeli forces as 'unintentional'.

The veteran Al-Jazeera journalist, who held Palestinian and American citizenship, was wearing a vest and helmet marked "Press" when she was killed on May 11.

She was covering an Israeli army operation in Jenin camp in the northern West Bank.

The US State Department released a report on Monday saying Abu Akleh was likely killed by gunfire from Israeli positions but that there was no reason to believe her death was intentional.

The General Union of Arab Journalists on Wednesday said in a statement that the US report lacked accuracy and was politically biased in favour of Israel.

The union's chief, Muayyad Al-Lami, said the report was a deliberate attempt to help Israel steer clear of accountability for Abu Akleh's killing.

He said that he was confident in the findings of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and in the report of the Palestinian Attorney General, which concluded that Abu Akleh was targeted by an Israeli bullet.

A number of other investigations reached the same conclusion, including ones conducted CNN and The New York Times.

Al-Lami also expressed solidarity with all Palestinian journalists working under threat of attack by Israeli forces and urged support for all journalists taking Israel to the International Criminal Court.

The Kuwaiti Journalists Association on Wednesday also rejected the report, demanding justice for Abu Akleh.

It expressed absolute trust in the reports by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the Palestinian Attorney General and the United Nations, which confirmed Abu Akleh was killed by Israel.

The association called on the international community to fight for justice for Abu Akleh.