Security Coordinator Price said he “found no reason to believe this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against Palestinian Islamic Jihad factions on May 11, 2022, in Jenin, which followed a series of terrorist attacks in Israel.” He noted that the examination of the bullet was “extremely detailed” and that “independent, third-party examiners, as part of a process overseen by the US Security Coordinator (USSC)” were unable to conclusively determine its origin. “Ballistics experts determined that the bullet was severely damaged, which prevented a clear conclusion,” Price said. “The United States appreciates and continues to encourage cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on this important matter. We will remain engaged with Israel and the Palestinian Authority on next steps and hold them accountable,” he said. “We again offer our deepest condolences to the Abu Akleh family.” Palestinian officials made the bullet available to US authorities on Saturday. Palestinian Authority Justice Minister Mohammad Al-Salaldeh told Al Jazeera on Sunday night that US officials had returned the bullet.
A US official previously told CNN that Washington had been pressing the Palestinians to give them access to the bullet that killed Abu Akleh for weeks. “We have made clear to Israel and the Palestinian Authority that the United States expects thorough, transparent and impartial investigations into the circumstances of Ms. Abu Akleh’s killing and responsibility,” a State Department spokesman said when asked about the matter. Last month, 24 US senators called for immediate US involvement in the investigation into Abu Akleh’s murder. “It is clear that neither party on the ground trusts the other to conduct a credible and independent investigation,” they wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden, who plans to visit Israel and the West Bank later this month. “Therefore, at this point, we believe that the only way to achieve this goal is for the United States to become directly involved in the investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh’s death.” This story is breaking and will be updated. CNN’s Kylie Atwood, Tamara Qiblawi, Hadas Gold, Kareem Khadder and Abeer Salman contributed to this report.