Israel Admits Killing of Teenage Girl in West Bank

Facts

• The Israeli army acknowledged on Monday that its troops shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian girl during a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday, stating that she was killed by "unintentional" fire "aimed at armed gunmen."
• This admission comes as the family of deceased Jana Madji Zakarneh decided to allow for an autopsy to be conducted before burying her body, which was found covered in blood on the roof of her family's house after suffering four bullet wounds.
• Zakarneh was killed shortly before the arrival of UN Special Envoy Virginia Gamba in Israel to investigate harm caused to Palestinian children in conflict areas. Zakarneh's killing prompted a general strike throughout Jenin.
• US State Dept. spokesman Ned Price on Monday called on Israel to hold itself accountable for the shooting. Israeli PM Yair Lapid stated that the investigation is at a preliminary stage.
• Three other Palestinians were also reportedly wounded in the clashes that allegedly erupted as Israeli troops and border police officers, some undercover, arrested three terror suspects during the raid.
• Israel has recently been carrying out raid-and-arrest operations across the West Bank on a near-daily basis — resulting in more than 2.5K arrests amid a spike in violence from both sides.

Sources: CNN, Palestine Chronicle, Arab News, Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, and Middle East Eye.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel, as provided by JNS. This killing comes as tragic collateral damage to Israel's defensive war against Palestinian terrorists despite its best efforts to avoid civilian casualties. Though the international community should be questioning why a young girl would respond to the noise of gunfire by rushing to the rooftop and standing next to an armed terrorist, the UN Special Envoy Gamba is likely to twist this incident to use it as propaganda against Israel.
• Pro-Palestine, as provided by Peoples Dispatch. Zakarneh was killed in another deliberate and criminal act against Palestinian children, becoming the latest victim of the failure of the international community to hold Israeli occupation forces and settler militias accountable for their escalating crimes. It's about time for the UN Secretary-General to put this regime on its global list of shame for crimes against children.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. The quick admission of this tragedy is about public relations rather than a legal issue. It does not exclude the possibility that the Israeli probe will retract it later, as happened in the al-Durrah case. Following the Abu Akleh case earlier this year, it has become clear to Tel Aviv that accepting responsibility quickly is necessary to avoid negative media coverage.

Predictions