The documentary sheds new light on how President Joe Biden’s administration responded to the murder of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akure, suggesting that Washington has evidence that her shooting death is likely intentional.
Israeli sniper fatally shot Abu Akure nearly three years ago, but she reported on May 11, 2022 from the Jenin refugee camp on the West Bank of Israeli occupation.
The new film – a 40-minute research documentary from Washington, D.C.-based media company Zeteo – was released Thursday, just before the anniversary of her death.
Under the title that killed Sirene, the documentary explores not only who pulled the trigger, but also why justice is elusive in the Abu Akure case. It also provides the clearest picture of the Biden administration’s political manipulation for putting public pressure on accountability.
Abu Akure was a US citizen and during her final reporting assignment she wore both a helmet and a blue vest clearly labelled with the word “press” to show her status as a journalist.
In the aftermath of her murder, the Biden administration faced pressure to investigate the circumstances of her death and whether the shooting was intentional.
However, the administration initially sought “independent and reliable investigations,” but changed that attitude as the moon progressed. They ultimately described the shooting as “the result of a tragic situation,” hoping that the murderer would be “indicted.”
It also eased scrutiny of the Israeli military and called for accountability only in the form of a review of the “rules of involvement.”
A documentary that killed Shireen? It features interviews from a former Washington insider about why the Biden administration created such a pivot. That most harmful testimony came from an anonymous official, who spoke to him in his face and voice.
In the film, the official alleges that evidence available to the Biden administration showed that Abu Akure’s death was “deliberate murder.” He said the rating was based on “visual ability of the day” and the distance between Israeli snipers and shot journalists.
Another journalist, Ali Al Samudi, was also injured at the same time as Abu Akure, but he survived the gunshot.
“It can be very well debated whether they knew it was her (Abu Akure), but they would have absolutely known that at least (the Israeli soldier) was shot and killed (the Israeli soldier) at least (the Israeli soldier),” an anonymous Biden official said.
He added that it was his “conviction” that allowed the shooter to see Abu Akure’s blue “press” jacket.
Officials acknowledged the change in the Biden administration’s position, from viewing the shooting as “intentional killing” to describing it as a “tragic accident.” He united the US faced close historical ties that it had shared with Israel.
“In the end, I think it went down because of a different pressure within the administration to not anger the Israeli government too much by trying to force their hands by saying they intentionally killed American citizens,” the authorities said.
Another former US official, Andrew Miller, spoke to the filmmakers as part of the documentary. Miller served as deputy director of Israel and Palestinian affairs from 2022 to 2024, and he The Biden administration has shown that it has not approached the stone walls facing Israeli government.
He said that then Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government had refused to grant access to the United States to soldiers who fired deadly.
Miller also questioned Israel’s claim that Abu Akure was shot dead during a crossfire with a Palestinian fighter. He explained that the Biden administration has information from the start that contradicts these claims.
“The official position of Israel remains the fact that this is the case with crossfire… The whole episode was a mistake, contrasted with the potential mistake of this individual’s identification or intentional targeting, but I think it points to a broader policy of trying to manage the story,” Miller said.
The Biden administration has never publicly contradicted Israel’s assessment. Instead, when Israeli forces released their final report on the killing in September 2022, it said it “welcomes” the review.
The report alleged that Abu Akle was “accidentally attacked” by an Israeli bullet.
To date, the US government has never deployed a State Department report on murdered or confirmed media reports that the Justice Department is conducting another investigation.
Rights groups, press and lawmakers have long been inadequate in response to the Biden administration, increasing transparency and calling for the US to withhold assistance from those in charge.
Supporters said the latest revelation underscores an ongoing cycle of immunity.
“The US government acted as an accomplice to Israeli war crimes not only against Palestinians but also against Americans, and has defeated its own laws and citizens,” said Lead Jarrah, head of advocacy for Democracy (Dawn), the Arab world human rights group.