The Al Jazeera journalist was killed while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11. The Palestinian Authority has refused to hand over the bullet to Israel, saying they could not trust the Israelis to conduct an impartial investigation.
“We will not hand over the bullet that killed Abu Akleh to the occupation, and we have agreed that the Americans will conduct a forensic examination of the bullet,” Khatib told journalists.
The bullet will be examined at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, Khatib told CNN. The Palestinians have received “guarantees” from the US the bullet “would not be delivered to Israel,” he said.
The US Embassy did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment. The Israeli Defense Forces said it did not yet have a public comment.
A forensic investigation of the bullet could potentially allow for an official determination of who killed Abu Akleh.
The Palestinian Authority says there were no militants in the area and an Israeli soldier purposefully targeted her.
Palestinians — along with journalists, human rights activists and other leaders — across the globe continue to demand accountability for her killing.
