Family of US woman killed by Israel in West Bank demands independent probe
The family of a US woman shot and killed by Israeli forces during a protest in the occupied West Bank demanded an independent investigation into her killing, saying that an Israel-led probe would be inadequate.
Aysenur Eygi, an American activist of Turkish origin, was "shot in the head" while participating in a weekly protest against Israel's illegal settlement in Beita, in the West Bank on Friday, according to the United Nations rights office.
Eyewitnesses told CNN that the 26-year-old had been shot in the head by Israeli forces cracking down on the protesters.
"Her presence in our lives was taken needlessly, unlawfully, and violently by the Israeli military," Eygi's family said in a statement on Saturday.
They said, "A US citizen, Aysenur was peacefully standing for justice when she was killed by a bullet that video shows came from an Israeli military shooter."
Israeli forces shot and killed a 26-year-old US activist of Turkish descent, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, during a protest in Beita, in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/ydgMsf30j6
— Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight) September 6, 2024
Eygi's family called on President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken "to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a US citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties."
A US National Security Council spokesperson said earlier that the US had contacted Israeli officials to “request an investigation into the incident.”
The family of the victim, however, said that "given the circumstances of Aysenur’s killing, an Israeli investigation is not adequate."
Eygi held both US and Turkish citizenship. The Turkish government has said it holds Israel responsible for her death with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemning the regime's action as “barbaric.”
The United Nations has also called for a "full investigation" into her killing by Israeli forces.
"We would want to see a full investigation of the circumstances and that people should be held accountable," said Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN secretary-general.
Civilians, he said, "must be protected at all times."
Eygi had been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) – an organization that is committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories by using nonviolent actions. US activist, Rachel Corrie, who was killed in 2003 while trying to block an Israeli bulldozer from razing Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip, was also a member of ISM.
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