Biden, White House have not called family of US activist killed by IOF
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The IOF have declared that their fatal shooting of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was unintentional, claiming it is "highly likely" the shot was not directed at her.
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US President Joe Biden speaks during a high-speed internet infrastructure announcement in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2023. (AFP)
US President Joe Biden and the White House have not offered their condolences to American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi's family after she was shot in the head and killed by Israeli occupation forces last Friday.
“The White House has not spoken with us. For four days, we have waited for President Biden to pick up the phone and do the right thing,” Hami Ali, Eygi's partner, said on Tuesday.
"Apparently it was an accident – it ricocheted off the ground, and she got hit by accident. I'm working that out now," Biden told reporters Tuesday.
Ali asserted that Eygi's death was not an accident, urging for her killers to be held accountable.
Meanwhile, her family described "Israel's" probe as "wholly inadequate," calling on the US to conduct an independent investigation.
The Israeli army declared on Tuesday that its initial inquiry found that it is "highly likely" the activist was “indirectly and unintentionally” shot by the forces' gunfire during the Beita protest in the West Bank.
The IOF released a statement that its investigation also found that Eygi was not the intended target for the gunfire, but an individual described as "the key instigator of the riot," adding it sent a request to Palestinian authorities to conduct an autopsy.
“We are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional,” Eygi’s family said in a statement.
Blinken denounces 'Israel's' murder of Eygi
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called for an overhaul of the IOF's military operations in the West Bank on Tuesday, denouncing the fatal shooting of the activist protesting against the occupation's illegal settlement expansion.
Blinken described Egyi's killing as "unprovoked and unjustified," and "unacceptable."
“No one should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just for freely expressing their views,” Blinken told reporters in London.
The IOF stated that its Military Police Criminal Investigation Division is conducting an investigation, where its findings will be submitted for higher-level review upon its completion.
“We’re going to be watching that very, very closely,” the White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, raising concern about the IOF's unusual criminal probe.
“We’re going to want to see where it goes now in terms of the criminal investigation and what they find, and if and how anyone is held accountable,” he added.
Israeli soldier who 'took kill shot' at Eygi 'shouted in joy': Witness
The Israeli sniper who shot and murdered Turkish-American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank last Friday screamed in delight after the murder, Palestinian eyewitness Mounir Khdair reported.
Khdair told Anadolu, "After shooting her, he was happy, he shouted for joy."
Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist who has been partaking in protests against Israeli settlement expansion in the region for many years, expressed that the Israeli soldier responsible for Eygi's murder "took a kill shot." But this is not an "isolated incident", he maintained, detailing how the same bullet that killed the Turkish activist "killed people in Nur Shams and Jenin."
Pollak stated that a 13-year-old girl was killed only a few kilometers away, emphasizing the weapons are "American-funded" to continue the genocide in Gaza "with complete impunity."
Pollak also rejected Israeli claims of feeling threatened by activists throwing stones, affirming that things were very calm when the activist was killed.
The claims echo similar ones of other witnesses who reported that Eygi was killed during a peaceful time, with no clashes or violent confrontations reported.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, an American-Turkish human rights activist, arrived in the West Bank to volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) as part of a campaign to protect Palestinian farmers from settler and IOF violence.
Eygi's death has sparked outrage and drew international condemnations. The Beita protest was part of ongoing demonstrations against the expansion of Israeli settlements and land seizures in the area.
