US: Killing of American woman in West Bank 'unprovoked and unjustified'

The killing by Israel of an American citizen during a protest last week in the occupied West Bank was “unprovoked and unjustified” and shows that the Israeli occupation forces need to make some fundamental changes in their rules of engagement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today according to Reuters.

“No one should be shot and killed for attending a protest,” Blinken told a news conference in London, delivering his harshest comments to date against the Israeli military.

“In our judgement, Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement,” he said.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who holds both US and Turkish citizenship, was at a protest against illegal settlement expansions in Beita, south of Nablus, on Friday when she was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier. The 26-year-old human rights activist was rushed to the Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus city but doctors were unable to resuscitate her.

Commenting on her murder, Israel’s military said today that an inquiry had found that it was “highly likely” that Eygi was hit indirectly and unintentionally by Israeli occupation forces. It added that it had sent a request to carry out an autopsy of her body.

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