Israeli killing of US woman spurs accountability calls by US lawmakers

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Sep 2024 08:29

"Israel" killed American-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi with a shot in the head while protesting the illegal expansion of settlements in Beita.

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Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a new graduate from the University of Washington, was targeted and killed by “Israel”. (X)

Condemnations and calls for an investigation are mounting after Israeli occupation troops shot and killed American-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi during an anti-settlement protest in the occupied West Bank.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed the 26-year-old’s death on Friday, and the White House expressed "deep disturbance" over the incident.

Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington condemned the killing, stating, "The government of Israel must deliver answers immediately and hold the perpetrators of this killing accountable."

Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal described Eygi’s death as a terrible tragedy, noting her office is actively seeking more information about the circumstances.

"I am very troubled by the reports that she was killed by IDF (Israeli Army) soldiers. The Netanyahu government has done nothing to stop settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank, often encouraged by right-wing ministers of the Netanyahu government," Jayapal said.

"The killing of an American citizen is a terrible proof point in this senseless war of rising tensions in the region," she stressed.

In a post on X, US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "do something" in response to the Turkish-American activist's murder by the Israeli army.

Hey how’d they die, Matt? Was it magic? Who or what killed Aysenur?

Asking on behalf of Americans who want to know. https://t.co/AX318PBGYC
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) September 6, 2024

In a separate message to US State Department spokesperson Miller, Tlaib asked, "Hey how’d they die, Matt? Was it magic? Who or what killed Aysenur? Asking on behalf of Americans who want to know."

Not an isolated incident

The President of Eygi's alma mater extended condolences to her family and called for a ceasefire in the ongoing war on Gaza. Eygi, who graduated from the University of Washington earlier this year with a degree in psychology, also studied Middle Eastern languages and cultures in her Seattle hometown.

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce described Eygi's death as "awful news" and expressed sympathy for her family and friends.

"Aysenur was a peer mentor in psychology who helped welcome new students to the department and provided a positive influence in their lives," Cauce noted.

"This is the second time over the past year that violence in the region has taken the life of a member of our UW community, and I again join with our government and so many who are working and calling for a ceasefire and resolution to the crisis," Cauce stressed.

US Senator Chris Van Hollen pointed out that Eygi was the third American killed in the occupied West Bank since October of the previous year.

"Biden Administration has not been doing enough to pursue justice and accountability on their behalf," said Van Hollen, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "If the Netanyahu Government will not pursue justice for Americans, the US Department of Justice must."

Activist killed was Fazaa campaign volunteer

Fouad Nafaa, director of Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, reported to Anadolu Agency that Eygi arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head and, despite medical efforts to revive her, she did not survive. Eyewitnesses said Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at a group of Palestinians protesting against the illegal Zionist settlements on Mount Sbeih in Beita, south of Nablus.

📍 Israeli forces killed Turkish-American citizen Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank. pic.twitter.com/K5kPFbXjnW
— Çağatay Cebe (@Mucagcebe) September 6, 2024

Vivi Chen, a volunteer with Fazaa—a pro-Palestine group collaborating with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM)—stated that Eygi was crouched near a dumpster at the bottom of a hill when the shooting occurred. Chen confirmed that Eygi was present with ISM.

"We were all at the bottom of the hill and the Israeli army was at the top," Chen recounted.

Israeli Activist Jonathan Pollack recounts the moment when Israeli forces shot and killed 26-year-old American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi during a peaceful demonstration near Nablus in the northern West Bank.

She was intentionally targeted and shot by an israeli sniper. https://t.co/jY45j0PDlV pic.twitter.com/07bLmbOJ3M
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) September 6, 2024

"There were two volunteers sitting behind a dumpster and they fired one shot at the dumpster. It hit a metal plane. And then there was another shot and they shot – they shot her in the head," Chen stressed.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA confirmed Eygi’s affiliation with the Fazaa campaign, which aims to support and protect Palestinian farmers from violations by illegal Israeli settlers and the military. Residents of Beita hold weekly protests after Friday prayers to oppose the illegal Israeli settlement of Avitar, situated on Mount Sbeih, demanding its removal as a violation of their land rights.