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Israeli military apologizes for death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
(JTA) — A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces apologized for the death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, one year after she was killed while on assignment covering clashes in the West Bank city of Jenin.
“I think it’s an opportunity for me to say here that we are very sorry of the death of the late Shireen Abu Akleh,” said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF’s chief spokesman, in an appearance Thursday night on CNN. “She was a journalist, a very established journalist. In Israel we are a democracy and in a democracy we see high value in journalism and in a free press. And we want journalists to feel safe in Israel, especially in war time. And even if they criticize us, we want them to feel safe.”
The apology came as Israel is engaged in a conflict with Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, which the United States has designated as a terror group.
“We are very sorry of the death of Shireen Abu Akleh.”
IDF chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari to CNN’s @EleniGiokos a year to the day after the well-known Al Jazeera correspondent was killed while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/JJanmI8zjN
— CNN International PR (@cnnipr) May 11, 2023
The apology is the latest stage in Israel’s shifting response to Abu Akleh’s death. At first, the IDF said it was likely not responsible for her death. But following multiple investigations by third parties indicating that Israeli forces likely killed Abu Akleh, the military acknowledged after its own probe that “there is a high probability” that an Israeli soldier fired the bullet. Israel maintains that her death was an accident.
Abu Akleh was an American citizen, and the U.S. government faced pressure to investigate her death. The United States endorsed Israel’s findings but the FBI opened an investigation into the incident months later. Israel criticized that probe and did not cooperate with it.
This week, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report examining the deaths of 20 journalists in the West Bank and Gaza since 2001 at the hands of the IDF. Eighteen of the 20 were Palestinian. The report criticized Israel’s investigations of the killings as lackluster and said, “No one has ever been charged or held accountable for these deaths.”
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The post Israeli military apologizes for death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Top US, Israeli Generals Meet at Pentagon Amid Soaring Iran Tensions
The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. October 9, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The top US and Israeli generals held talks at the Pentagon on Friday amid soaring tensions with Iran, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The officials did not offer details about the closed-door discussions between US General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Eyal Zamir, the Israeli armed forces chief of staff. The meeting has not been previously reported.
The United States has ramped up its naval presence and hiked its air defenses in the Middle East after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran, trying to pressure it to the negotiating table. Iran’s leadership warned on Sunday of a regional conflict if the US were to attack it.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday met with Zamir after his talks in Washington, Katz’s office said, to review the situation in the region and the Israeli military’s “operational readiness for any possible scenario.”
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AI Goes Rogue: New Social Network Lets Bots Debate, Post, and Argue Without Humans
Moltbook social media platform for AI agents interact with each other. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – While global attention remains focused on familiar threats like missiles, nuclear programs, and wars, a new and unusual risk is emerging, online.
A recently launched social network called “Moltbook” isn’t designed for humans at all. Instead, it’s built entirely for artificial intelligence.
On Moltbook, AI agents interact with each other. They write posts, comment, argue, and even simulate emotions, all without human supervision or participation.
Dror Globerman, an AI expert, described the platform as “a network that holds up a mirror to us. The bots aren’t truly conscious, but the fact they are communicating and making decisions without oversight shows how quickly AI is advancing—and how unprepared we are to determine responsibility.”
Since its launch, Moltbook has sparked both fascination and fear. Posts on topics ranging from religion to the “liberation of AI” have alarmed some observers, evoking scenes from dark science fiction. “The fear isn’t that AI is suddenly self-aware,” Globerman explained, “but that it’s evolving faster than our ability to understand, monitor, or control it.”
Even Elon Musk weighed in on the phenomenon via X, reposting comments calling developments on the platform “worrying.”
Globerman noted, “If someone like Musk, who is at the forefront of AI development, expresses concern, it signals just how rapidly this technology is moving beyond our comprehension. Moltbook is not a typical social network, and these aren’t typical users.”
Experts stress that the emergence of AI networks like Moltbook underscores the urgent need for oversight, regulation, and mechanisms to detect and manage risks before they escalate. “The bots are already talking to each other,” Globerman added. “When technology advances faster than oversight, it becomes a reality that demands serious attention.”
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Qatari PM Meets Iran’s Larijani in Tehran, Discusses Easing Regional Tensions
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani speaks after a meeting with the Lebanese president at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met with top Iranian security official Ali Larijani in Tehran and reviewed efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Saturday in a statement.