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Defence Minister Benny Gantz addressed the incident at the Knesset where he expressed sorrow at death of Abu Akleh.

“The State of Israel values the protection of human life above all, as well as freedom of press,” he said. “IDF troops would never intentionally harm members of the press, and any attempt to imply otherwise is baseless.”

Gantz added, “Preliminary findings from the investigation conducted by the IDF in the last several hours indicate that no gunfire was directed at the journalist, however the investigation is ongoing. On the other hand, we have seen footage of indiscriminate shooting by Palestinian terrorists, which is likely to have hit the journalist. We will communicate our findings in a clear and transparent manner to our American friends, as well as to the Palestinian Authority.”

Gantz confirmed Israel wanted to conduct a joint investigation. “I sent a clear message to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas today, that our responsibility as leaders is to maintain security, to conduct ourselves in a way that will prevent further violence and bloodshed and to uncover the truth,” he said. “We have also communicated with additional countries and officials, including Qatar, where Al Jazeera headquarters are based. We expressed that the findings at this time indicate that there is a reasonable chance that the journalist was shot by Palestinian armed terrorists. This being said, we will conduct an in-depth and comprehensive investigation and deliver our findings to them. We are currently in the midst of an ongoing investigation of the incident, it is important that we uncover the truth about how it unfolded.”

Gantz also spoke about the terror wave that has claimed 19 lives in recent weeks.

“We will continue to take all the necessary measures to fight terrorism and to maintain the security of the citizens of Israel,” he said. “This is our top mission. We will do this in a way that reflects the values of the State of Israel, being as precise as possible and taking measures to prevent harm to uninvolved civilians. At the same time, we will continue to investigate incidents in which people have been harmed.

“We conduct such in-depth investigations and I am proud of the IDF troops that continue to serve us and I will continue to provide them with the support needed to conduct their activities.”

IDF Spokesperson Ran Kochav told reporters it was too soon to ascertain who shot Abu Akleh.

“We are precise in our gunfire,” he said. “We are investigating the events and reviewing the angles of fire. She may have been shot by Palestinians. She was very close to them. But if soldiers were responsible, we will have to apologise if a mistake was made.” He added, “I cannot be 100% sure. I am not sure we will be able to definitively know the truth without their cooperation.”

Abu Akleh, 51, was an experienced journalist from Jerusalem who had been with the network for two decades covering Israel and the West Bank.

A post-mortem by the Institute of Pathology at An Najah University in Nablus was reportedly inconclusive that Abu Akleh was shot at short range by the IDF.

IAA investigates Turkey flight delay

One of the images sent to the passengers

BY LILLY JOSEPH

Investigations have begun into the delay of a flight about to take off from Israel to Turkey at Ben Gurion Airport after passengers received phone messages of plane crashes on Tuesday.

There were 160 passengers on board the Boeing 737 Anadolu Jet, a Turkish Airlines subsidiary, when the disturbing incident occurred.

Nine passengers aged around 18 were detained at Ben Gurion according to police and were reportedly from a village in northern Israel.

Messages are believed to have included images of a Turkish Airlines plane crash in the Netherlands in 2009 and another plane crash in the US in 2013. The Israel Airport Authority is investigating.

An IAA statement at the time noted, “Security crews are taking all necessary steps to ensure that there is no danger to passengers. This includes a re-inspection of the passengers and their luggage. All the steps taken are done in cooperation and coordination with the flight’s captain, who exhibited great responsibility with his decision to return the plane to the terminal.”

The IAA added that the flight would depart Ben Gurion when security determined no risk to passengers or the plane.

WJC appeal to Czech government

BY LEAH WAXLER

World Jewish Congress has called on the Czech government who take up the Council of the European Union presidency this year to “put a stop” to antisemtism.

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder made the comments at a meeting of senior Jewish community leaders on Monday.

“It is high time for the European Council to establish a permanent working group on combating the hatred of Jews as well as all forms of racism,” he said.

Addressing WJC leaders, Czech Deputy Prime Minister Marian Jurecka responded, “Europe has clearly said no to hatred and racism. We don’t want to be spectators. We want to take steps in the field of culture and education. We will make changes so that we are able to face these lies.”

The impact in Ukraine on Jewish communities was discussed.

WJC is involved in humanitarian efforts. Noting a recent visit to Warsaw, Lauder thanked Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Poland for welcoming a “large stream of refugees” fleeing Ukraine.

Lauder said antisemitism may increase as a result of the war. He added that the word “antisemitism” should be replaced by “Jew hatred” to accurately reflect the times.

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