By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- The family of Turkish-American volunteer and activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi is demanding the U.S. do an independent investigation into her killing that took place on September 6 near Nablus in the West Bank village of Beita. In a statement, Eygi’s family said: “A U.S. citizen, Aysenur was peacefully standing for justice when she was killed.” Her family said she was a “fiercely passionate human rights activist,” adding that “Her presence in our lives was taken needlessly, unlawfully and violently by the Israeli military.” They also said that any Israeli probe into her death would not be enough. On Saturday, Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas told Al Jazeera that an official ceremony to commemorate Eygi will take place after her body is returned to her family. The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian organization that Eygi was a member of, disputed Israeli military claims that its activists threw rocks at Israeli forces, saying that account is “false” and that the demonstration was peaceful. Two eyewitnesses said that an Israeli sniper stationed on a nearby rooftop shot Eygi after she walked into an olive grove, according to British rights activist Rob Sadler. Sadler told Al Jazeera: “A sniper fired from a building – one or two shots – and they targeted and murdered Aysenur.” He added, that Aysenur “has made the ultimate sacrifice,” in participating for the cause. Sadler further stated: “But we will continue to work in her name and make sure her sacrifice was not for nothing. We’ll continue to bring pressure to bear on Israel until Palestine is free.”
Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told the media that President Joe Biden and his administration are “deeply disturbed by [Eygi’s} tragic death” and has already requested a full investigation from Israel though CAIR – the Council on American-Islamic relations, in an open letter to the Biden administration on September 6, called for an immediate investigation by the U.S. into the circumstances surrounding Eygi’s death. Eygi is one of three Americans killed by Israeli forces – earlier this year, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen Tawfiq Ajaq was killed by a settler and an off-duty Israeli police officer near his ancestral village. In 2022, an Israeli sniper killed well-known Al Jazeera journalist and U.S. citizen Shireen Abu Akleh, reporting in the Jenin refugee camp where there was outrage because Akleh was clearly identifiable as press. Many called her killing by the Israelis as intentional and to date, there is no evidence that anyone was held accountable.
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen said Eygi is the third American killed in the West Bank since October 7 and criticized the Biden administration, commenting that it “has not been doing enough to pursue justice and accountability on their behalf.” Professor of Public Policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Sultan Barakat told Al Jazeera “If they leave {an inquiry} to the Israeli military, it will go on for weeks and months and then it will be forgotten, like the many cases before this.” Eygi’s family in a plea to the Biden administration said: “We call on President Biden, Vice President [Kamala] Harris, and Secretary of State {Antony} Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a U.S. citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties.” On behaif of the U.N. secretary-general, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “We would want to see a full investigation of the circumstances aand that people should be held accountable.” He added “civilians must be protected at all times.”
Photo : AA
