Shireen Abu Akleh's family to meet Blinken in Washington, demand new probe into her murder

The family of slain US-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is in Washington this week to demand US President Joe Biden's administration do more to secure some semblance of accountability and justice from Israel for her killing.

Abu Akleh was shot dead on 11 May as she reported on an Israeli raid at a refugee camp in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, despite wearing a press vest and helmet.

Palestinian eyewitnesses said the Al Jazeera journalist was shot in the neck by Israeli sniper fire. Their accounts were backed up by footage from the scene and multiple investigations.

However, the US State Department concluded in its own investigation in July that the Israeli military was only "likely responsible" for the shooting, and that Abu Akleh's death was the result of "tragic circumstances". Relatives of Abu Akleh slammed that investigation as an "affront to justice".

In a further snub, Biden did not meet with Abu Akleh's family during his visit to the Middle East earlier this month, which included stops in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.

In an exclusive statement and Q&A to Politico, the family said the Biden administration encouraged them to come to Washington.

"Since the president didn’t come to us in Jerusalem to hear first-hand our grief, outrage and concerns regarding his administration’s lack of response to Shireen’s extrajudicial killing, we decided to come to him," said Shireen's brother Tony, niece Lina, and nephew Victor in their statement. 

President Biden is recovering after contracting Covid-19, but they have been granted a meeting with state secretary Blinken on Tuesday.

"We are in Washington, DC to insist on a thorough, credible, independent, and transparent US investigation into the Israeli military’s killing of our dear Shireen," they said.

"For far too long, the United States has enabled Israel to kill with impunity by providing weapons, immunity, and diplomatic cover. Impunity leads to repetition. We are here to do our part to ensure that this cycle ends."