The U.S. State Department has expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's initial findings regarding the death of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old U.S. and Turkish citizen, during a protest in the West Bank. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that these findings do not absolve Israeli security forces of responsibility.
On September 6, 2024, Eygi was fatally shot while participating in a demonstration against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel has acknowledged that its troops were responsible for the shooting but claimed it was unintentional and occurred during a protest that turned violent.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has demanded a comprehensive overhaul of Israeli military conduct in the West Bank, describing Eygi's death as "unprovoked and unjustified." The State Department expects Israel to conduct a prompt, thorough, and transparent investigation into the incident.
Miller emphasized that if the results of the full investigation are not satisfactory, the United States may consider additional measures. However, he did not specify what these measures might entail.
The Israeli military stated that their initial investigation found that the gunfire was not aimed at Eygi but at another individual they identified as "the key instigator of the riot." Despite this claim, the U.S. maintains that Eygi's death should never have occurred.
This incident has further strained relations between the United States and Israel, occurring against a backdrop of increased settler assaults on Palestinians in the West Bank. The U.S. has already imposed sanctions on some settlers in response to these attacks.
The West Bank, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war, is home to approximately 3 million Palestinians and over 400,000 Israeli settlers. The United Nations Security Council considers these settlements illegal under international law, a stance disputed by Israel.
The ongoing conflict has been further complicated by Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza. The situation underscores the challenges facing the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian peace process, in which the United States has played a key mediating role.
As tensions continue to escalate, the international community watches closely. The Quartet on the Middle East, established in 2002 and consisting of the UN, EU, US, and Russia, aims to mediate the peace process but has faced significant obstacles.
The killing of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi serves as a stark reminder of the complex and volatile situation in the region, highlighting the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the decades-long conflict.
"I hear people ... hold the initial findings up as if they somehow exonerated Israeli security forces. They very much do not, at least in our point of view."