At Abbas presser, Biden calls for ‘full accountability’ in death of Abu Akleh

US President Joe Biden laments the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who died during a firefight between the Israeli army and Palestinian gunmen in May during his statement alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.

Biden notes that Abu Akleh was “an American citizen and a proud Palestinian” and says she was performing “vital work” as a journalist and for democracy.

A photo of slain US-Palestinian Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, with a caption in Arabic reading “Shireen Abu Akleh, the voice of Palestine,” is seen ahead of a joint press conference between the US and Palestinian Authority presidents in Bethlehem on July 15, 2022. (MANDEL NGAN / AFP)

Abu Akleh “was performing the very vital work of independent media and vital work of democracy; her death is an enormous loss to the essential work of sharing with the world the story of the Palestinian people. I hope her legacy will inspire more young people to carry on her work of reporting the truth and telling stories which are too often overlooked,” says the US president.

He says the US will “continue to insist on a full and transparent accounting of her death and will continue to stand up for media freedom everywhere in the world.”