Congress urged to hold Israel accountable for killing of US citizen
Illustrative photo (getty images)
Democrats in Congress joined the United Nations in condemning the killing of a US citizen in the West Bank on Friday. They called for Israel to be held accountable amid rising tensions over settlement expansion, according to Politico.
According to eyewitnesses, 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers during a protest against settlement expansion in the West Bank on Friday. Witnesses claim the violence erupted during a weekly demonstration against the settlements, when some protesters began throwing stones at Israeli forces.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said soldiers "responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity" in the area, resulting in the death of a "foreign national." They added that "details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review."
Eygi, a Seattle resident who also held Turkish citizenship, had recently graduated from the University of Washington and was volunteering with the activist group International Solidarity Movement.
In a statement, Eygi’s family said their daughter was "peacefully standing for justice" and called on the Biden administration to conduct an independent investigation into her death and "ensure full accountability for the guilty parties."
National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said on Friday that the US is "deeply disturbed" about Eygi’s death and that the White House had reached out to the Israeli government, requesting an investigation.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters on Friday that the organization also wanted to see "a full investigation of the circumstances and that people should be held accountable," stressing that "civilians must be protected at all times."
Senior Democrats soon joined the calls for an investigation into Eygi’s killing.
Congressman Adam Smith (Washington), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed his condolences to the Eygi family in a statement on Saturday, urging the Israeli government to "deliver answers swiftly and thoroughly." Smith also condemned the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank as "illegal, destabilizing," and a violation of Palestinian rights in the region.
On September 1, Israeli forces found the bodies of six hostages in tunnels beneath Gaza, who had been captured by Hamas militants during the October attack.
Israelis are calling on Netanyahu to strike a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Yesterday, on September 7, large-scale protests resumed.
