Thread by @OptimisticCon

On shooting death of Al Jazeera journalist #ShireenAbuAkleh, in Jenin (W Bank) 11 May 2022, best analysis by far comes from @elderofziyon.
He used much of work done by Bellingcat open-source journo group, but discovered...
1/16

...they’d overlooked key on-scene video.
His analysis incorporates the overlooked video from that morning, which shows a Pal militant group was in vicinity of Abu Akleh at time of shooting, & closer than position of IDF convoy some 200 meters due south of her.
2/16

I’ll only excerpt a few highlights from Elder’s analysis, which I hope will encourage everyone to watch the 33-min video. Worth every min.
3/16

Elder reviews Bellingcat satellite image depiction of Abu Akleh’s location (red circle) in relation to IDF convoy (green shaded area) & two groups of Pal militants (purple & yellow).
I’ve added annotations for those positions.
4/16

Elder used sound-arrival analysis assisted by MT State prof who also worked w/Bellingcat & CNN, to depict range arc from which shot could have come. Muzzle velocities used are standard for M16 & M4, weapons used by both IDF & Pal militants.
Elder concluded...
5/16

...IDF was too far away to have taken the shot. Audio physics don’t support claim that shot came from IDF.
But kicker is that there WAS a Pal militant grp closer to Abu Akleh at time of shooting.
6/16

Their location based on video put them at edge of range arc for M16/M4 shot – but from southeast, not due south. (Graphic in thread below.)
As Elder notes, CNN knew about this video & ignored it.
Moreover…
7/16

…sound-arrival analysis by Bellingcat was flawed. Range arc would be from where the sound was received (i.e., recorder’s smart phone), not from where the victim was located. Elder demonstrates in his video that video/audio recording was made ~15m NORTH of Abu Akleh’s loc.
8/16

Here’s Elder’s satellite image (again, my annotations added).
9/16

Another essential: Pal Auth attorney-general told media 26 May that bullet had been fired from a Ruger Mini-14 rifle.
10/16
reuters.com/world/middle-e…

Numerous IDF vets have confirmed on soc media that IDF doesn’t use Mini-14. IDF does use Ruger .22 – but it’s not chambered in 5.56 to accommodate NATO rounds. PA’s claim that Abu Akleh was hit w/5.56 round isn’t possible w/the Ruger the IDF uses.
11/16

https://twitter.com/izaakb/status/1531685157379399680

See also:

https://twitter.com/DanWilliams/status/1531541262909722625

I note Mini-14 is notorious for comparative inaccuracy & quickly loses effectiveness over distance. Even if an IDF soldier had one for some reason (extremely unlikely; soldiers wd be kitted out as prescribed for an operation), targeting...
12/16

...Abu Akleh fm 200m away wd be more of a crap shoot. (M16/M4 more reliable up to 500m.)
That point ignores constraint of sound physics in any case.
Mini-14 is also definitely not a military-grade sniper weapon. (Snipers don’t use 5.56.)
13/16

Meanwhile, 57 members of U.S. House Dem Caucus want State Dept & FBI to conduct “independent” investigation of the incident.
14/16
scribd.com/document/57509…

This is political grandstanding; long-time observers characterize it as Congress carrying water for the J Street lobbying org,
They’ve done it before.
15/16
nationalreview.com/corner/going-l…

But if such a probe were to be done, FBI couldn’t make a better start than by reviewing @elderofziyon video.
There could well be even more info than he has – but omitting any part of what he’s assembled would be a fatal misstep.
End
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