Judy: A prominent TV journalist
was shot and killed in the west
bank while reporting on a raid
by Israeli troops.
Her killing raised tensions
between the Israeli security
establishment and the press as a
new wave of violence in the holy
land between Israelis and
Palestinians continues.
Here's John yang.
>> A burst of gunfire.
Al jazeera's correspondent lies
face down motionless, shot in
the head.
Then panicked calls for an
ambulance.
The 51-year-old
palestinian-american journalist
was rushed to a hospital, but
died from her wounds.
In a career at Al jazeera -- Al
jazeera, she was a household
name across the Middle East.
Her coverage of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Several journalists on the scene
and Palestinian health ministry
said Israeli troops shot her and
her producer, who is reported to
be in stable condition.
The Israeli defense minister
said a full investigation is
being conducted.
Officials released a video they
said shows Palestinian militants
firing nearby.
Open source investigators
doubted the video was taken at
the scene of the killing.
The Israeli prime minister
warned against jumping to
conclusions.
>> The Palestinian authority was
quick to blame Israel.
There is a viable chance the
journalist was hit by the fire
of armed Palestinians.
>> Palestinian prime minister
said Israel was responsible.
>> Israel wants to signs the
free voice and silence the voice
of the press, and wants to
silence the image showing the
ugliness the Israeli occupation
and crimes of this occupation.
>> At her home in Jerusalem, her
family mourned her death and
calls for answers.
>> I never thought this day
would come where the news would
be about her and she wouldn't be
the one covering the news.
>> Israeli forces also appeared
at her home, but were shouted
away.
She was on assignment at the
jenin refugee camp in the
occupied west bank, where
Israeli forces have conducted
regular raids.
They are hunting for a
Palestinian terrorist.
It is a response to a recent
uptick in violence against
Israelis.
Last week, two Palestinians were
captured after they allegedly
killed three Israelis with axes
in a predominately
ultra-orthodox center in Israel.
Last month, the rare convergence
of Ramadan and passover brought
near daily clashes in
Jerusalem's old city, a site
revered by both muslims and
Jews.
Though the conflict is not yet
broken out into all out war
scene in gaza last may, dozens
of Palestinians and Israelis
have been killed.
Throughout the conflict, critics
accused Israel of targeting
journalists.
A united nations investigation
found reasonable grounds to
believe Israeli snipers have
shot at journalists during 2018
protests in gaza.
Four more -- for more on the
death and the ongoing violence,
we are joined by Joseph federman
, the associated news director
for Israel, the Palestinian
territories, and jordanj.
-- Jordan.
Is there anything new that we
have learned about her death?
>> We are trying to figure out
who was responsible.
Early in the day, the Israelis
were suggesting she had perhaps
been hit by Palestinian militant
fire.
Later today, they backed off on
the claim.
They don't know who is
responsible, they say.
They are promising a full
investigation.
Right now, they are trying to
get a hold of the bullet that
killed her.
The Palestinians have that
bullet, and don't want to turn
it over to the Israelis.
So there is a dispute on how to
proceed over the investigation.
>> It is fair to say there's a
strained relationship between
the Israeli military and the
foreign press.
Earlier today, my calling spoke
with -- my colleague spoke with
the codirector of a group of
veterans in Israel opposed to
the Israeli occupation of
Palestinian territories.
Let's take a listen to what he
had to say.
>> The military, and big
elements within the security
establishment, see the work of
journalists, but also activists
and human rights organizations
and defenders, as a threat.
I think there is a fear, a
dangerous fear of exposing
reality on the ground.
>> Given the strained
relationship, how does it affect
the daily work of your
reporters?
>> It affects us on several
levels.
First of all, the foreign media
-- I don't want to say we are
viewed as a hostile entity, but
many elements in Israeli society
and official Israeli society
look at the foreign media with
suspicion.
The foreign media has a
different perspective than what
you would see the Israeli media,
Israeli journalists, and they
see things through Israeli eyes.
Foreign media looks at it in a
more balanced way.
We have staffers working for us,
foreigners, but also Palestinian
staffers.
So it complicates the issue.
Palestinian staffers -- first of
all, they are in the field when
there is conflict and protests.
So they come into contact with
the Israeli forces.
They are often viewed not as
journalists, but as
Palestinians.
So there is a basis for this
tense relationship from the
beginning.
>> Talk about what is going on
in Israel and the Palestinian
territories.
The cycle of violence against
Israelis followed by raids,
Israeli defense force raids,
followed by violence against
Israelis, followed by raids.
Where is this going?
Could this escalate into a third
-- an all out war again?
>> It is impossible to predict
where this is going, but we have
gone through many cycles.
Sometimes they escalate.
We saw it a year ago, where
tensions in Jerusalem escalated
and spilled over into a
full-fledged 11 day war with
gaza militants.
Both sides have an interest in
containing things and preventing
things from spinning out of
control.
But you don't have full control
over what is going to happen.
Because many of the attacks,
many of these incidents arrange
-- originate with lone wolf
attackers.
You never know the repercussions
afterwards.
>> Israel has a new government.
A fragile coalition.
What pressure does this put on
prime minister Bennett and his
government?
>> The former prime minister
always billed himself as Mr.
Security.
He's now the opposition leader
trying to take advantage of
this.
He's try to present this new
government as being soft on what
they call terrorism.
And he's going to continue to
hammer the government on that.
What people don't always realize
is when Netanyahu was in power,
he dealt with the same threats
and issues.
They really only have a limited
number of options on how to deal
with these things.
It seems no matter who the prime
minister is, you will always
deal with this.
We are in a conflict zone.
Israel has controlled the west
bank, the Palestinian
territories for half a century.
Until there's a diplomatic
process, until they figure out
some way to settle this
conflict, there will always be
friction and we are always going
to go through these waves of
violence.
>> President Biden is scheduled
to go to Israel probably later
in the summer.
What is the state of
u.s.-israeli relations in the
wake of the alliance between
president trump and prime
minister Netanyahu.
How might the violence affect
the u.s.-israeli relationship?
>> Relations became very close
under trump and Netanyahu.
They were very similar in
personality, got along very
well.
But Bennett has done a good job
of making up with the Democrats.
Relations became very strained
with the Democrats.
Bennett has made it a priority
to get better relations with
both sides.
And the ties are good right now.
Today's incident is a bit of a
strain.
She was an American citizen.
You hear expressions of regret,
condemnation from the American
side.
The secretary of state is a
former journalist.
So there is sympathy for
journalists in the white house.
But I don't see long term damage
to the relationship.
The relationship goes deep,
strategic interests.
I think it will survive and
thrive, even after today.
>> Joseph federman, thank you
very much.
>> Late today, a spokesperson at
the Israeli embassy sent us a
statement in response to the
accusation leveled by the
Israeli military veteran that
just heard, about his belief
that Israeli security
establishment fears exposing the
reality on the ground.
The spokesman wrote "This
statement is a libelous
accusation and could not be
further from the truth.
Israel values freedom of the
press and human rights, and we
are committed to protecting
them."