Israel's President Isaac Herzog warned against fake reports regarding the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who was fatally shot in Jenin while covering an IDF raid.
"We have already in the past had cases where we were blamed and the truth transpired later, that there were a lot of fake facts regarding Israel," Herzog told the audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"Don't base yourself on fake facts. Study the facts," Herzog said.
Don't base yourself on fake facts. Study the facts.
President Isaac Herzog
He was asked about the May 11 shooting of Abu Akleh in the aftermath of a CNN report that Israeli soldiers may have deliberately shot her.
The IDF rejected the CNN report as did Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll.
CNN Report
CNN's "claim that Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in a “targeted attack” is devoid of any basis in reality," Roll tweeted.
"The @IDF operates in Jenin solely to prevent terror attacks against Israelis. CNN’s report is full of unfounded conclusions and inaccuracies, and relies on unreliable sources," he added.
CNN had an expert analyze audio of the shooting to determine that the bullet traveled close to 200 meters, a conclusion similar to what the IDF had reached. A second expert determined that based on the bullet pattern, the shooting was targeted rather the result of random shots from a gun battle.
The IDF has said that Abu Akleh was killed either by an army so soldier or a Palestinian gunman, but that no final conclusion was possible without the ability to forcibly examine the bullet. The Palestinian Authority blames Israel for the shooting but has refused to give Israel access to the bullet.
At the economic forum Herzog said, "we have offered the Palestinians a joint investigation as to the circumstances of this very tragic event.
"Unfortunately, the Palestinians refused. They took the body, they took the bullet. Therefore one cannot substantiate any one of the scenarios without those facts," he said.
"Israel was open and transparent and offered the United States to join this process of investigation as well, because we attach high importance to freedom of speech and the work of journalists and media channels, and we respect them," Herzog said.
"This is of course a very sad event. It pains me. It pains many Israelis," Herzog said.