ISRAELI police yesterday they have concluded an internal investigation into violence at the funeral of slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh – without releasing any findings.

Police launched the probe following an international outcry after the veteran reporter’s coffin was almost dropped when police attacked pallbearers during her funeral last month.

Thousands attended the service in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, and images of the unrest were broadcast live on television. Israeli authorities blamed Palestinian protesters for the ugly scenes.

Police commander Kobi Shabtai yesterday said “we cannot remain indifferent to these harsh images and must investigate so sensitive events of this order are not violently disturbed by rioters”.

“Police under my instructions investigated to assess the action of its forces on the ground to draw conclusions and improve operational progress in this type of event.”

The probe results were presented to the public works minister, said a police spokesman.

Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering an Israeli army operation in Jenin camp in the occupied West Bank last month.

A Palestinian probe said an Israeli soldier shot her dead in what it described as a war crime.

Israel denied the allegations, arguing that she could have been killed by a Palestinian gunman.

Abu Akleh’s brother Anton rejected out of hand the police probe into the unrest at her funeral.

“We do not care what Israel says or does. Everything is clear from the photos. Police are the aggressors,” he told AFP.

“They are trying to cover up their actions and mistakes.”

Abu Akleh held US citizenship, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised the Israeli police actions at the funeral.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US is seeking more information about the investigation into the funeral.

“Certainly, to us, typically these investigations – the findings of them – are released publicly,” Price told reporters in Washington.

Price reiterated that the US believes the funeral had “disturbing intrusions into what should have been a peaceful procession”. – AFP, June 17, 2022.