The family of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-born American human rights activist killed by Israel in the occupied West Bank, pleaded with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday to initiate a U.S. investigation into her death but received no assurances, according to her husband.
Eygi, 26, was shot and killed on September 6 while participating in a protest march in the town of Beita against Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank. After meeting with Blinken, her husband, Hamid Ali, told reporters that while Blinken was attentive, he did not offer any guarantees regarding a U.S. probe, urging the family to wait for Israel to finish its investigation. “He was very deferential to the Israelis,” Ali said. “It felt like he was saying his hands were tied and they weren’t able to really do much.” There was no clear timeline for when Israel would complete its inquiry, Ali added.
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State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that Blinken told the family that Israel had recently informed the U.S. that it was finalizing its investigation and that the State Department would promptly share any findings with them. “With respect to a United States investigation… that would be in the remit of the Justice Department,” Miller said.
Israel has acknowledged that its troops shot Eygi, but claims it was an unintentional act during a demonstration that turned violent. Eygi’s family believes she was targeted because of her activism.
Although Washington has condemned Eygi’s killing and the recent rise in attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank as Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza, the U.S. has not announced any major policy changes toward Israel. The International Court of Justice and most countries consider Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank to be illegal, a stance Israel denies, citing historical and biblical ties to the region.
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