President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas is demanding that the United States seek justice for the murder of Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh.

President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the United Nation’s general assembly meeting in New York this week.

“As well as having Palestinian nationality, she was also an American citizen,” Abbas said during the UN’s General Assembly on Friday.

“I dare the United States to prosecute those who killed this American national, but they won’t. Why? Because they are Israelis.”

Addressing world leaders at the United Nation’s HQ in New York, Abbas said he was speaking “on behalf of more than 14 million Palestinians whose fathers and ancestors lived through the tragic Nakba 74 years ago and are still living the spillover of this Nakba, which is a humiliation for the whole of humanity, especially for those who have conspired, planned and executed this heinous crime.”

“Our trust in the possibility of achieving peace based on justice and international law, unfortunately, is waning due to the Israeli occupation policies,” said Abbas.

Israeli forces shot Abu Akleh in May in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.

The United Nations has gathered information revealing that the bullets that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 were fired by Israeli forces.

“All information we have gathered … is consistent with the finding that the shots that killed Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi came from Israeli security forces and not from indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians,” says Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the United Nation’s Human Rights Office (OHCHR).

Israeli authorities disagree according to the results of their own internal investigations. They released the results which state that there was a “high possibility” that she had been “accidentally hit” by Israeli army fire. The report noted that there are no reasons to launch a military police investigation as there was “no suspicion of a criminal offense.”

A more detailed report by Israeli human rights organization B’tselem mentions two targeted volleys and a subsequent burst of gunfire totaling at least 16 shots fired at Abu Akleh and her fellow journalists and concludes that a bullet in the second volley is the one that killed Abu Akleh.

“Lack of intent does not grant an exemption from liability.”

B’tselem’s report adds, “A pertinent question is whether any real effort was made to prevent civilian casualties during a pre-planned Israeli military operation, carried out in broad daylight by heavily protected military forces. Israel, on its part, certainly made no such effort.”

Thorough and detailed investigations by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, CNN, the New York Times, the Associated Press, and the Washington Post have also concluded that the bullet that killed Abu Akleh came from an Israeli Army position, with some investigations highlighting that this was a targeted attack on Abu Akleh and her fellow journalists.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Yair Lapid says he supports a two-state solution and called on Muslim nations to recognize and make peace with Israel.

“We need to understand history, respect it and learn from it but also to be willing and able to change. To choose the future over the past, peace over war,” he said.

“Israeli Arabs are not our enemies; they are our partners in life,” says Lapid.

Abbas rejected Lapid’s claims and “requests for peace,” and said Israel “has decided not to be our partner in the peace process.”