US urges Israel to reassess military rules after Turkish-American activist’s death

WASHINGTON

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday urged Israel to reassess its military rules of engagement following the death of Turkish-American activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed by an Israeli sniper in the occupied West Bank.

According to the Pentagon, Austin conveyed his concerns in a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, emphasizing the Israeli Defense Forces' responsibility for what he described as the "unprovoked and unjustified" death of the American citizen.

"The Secretary urged Minister Gallant to reexamine the IDF's rules of engagement while operating in the West Bank," the Pentagon's statement outlined.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that Israel's military needs to make "fundamental changes" when asked about the activist killing.

"Her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified," Blinken said of the death of 26-year-old Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi.

"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 told reporters in London.

The killing of Eygi by Israeli soldiers has shown Israel targets even those “who are in favor of peace,” Türkiye's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Hakan Fidan, speaking to Anadolu in Cairo where he attended a session of the Arab League's Council of Foreign Ministers, vowed Türkiye will follow this “murder” from a legal perspective.

He expressed condolences to Eygi's family and emphasized the incident's significance in revealing Israel's approach towards peace advocates.

Eygi, 26, who held dual Turkish and U.S. citizenship, was killed by Israeli forces during a protest against illegal settlements in Beita. On Tuesday, the Israeli army stated it was "highly likely" that Eygi was hit "indirectly and unintentionally" by its fire.

U.S. President Joe Biden called the shooting of Eygi in the head by an Israeli sniper an "accident," adding that the bullet apparently "ricocheted off the ground, and she got hit.”

Biden has not spoken with the family of Eygi to offer his condolences, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday in response to a question.

In a separate statement, Eygi's family expressed outrage over any suggestion that her death at the hands of an Israeli sniper was unintentional, reiterating their calls for an independent investigation into her killing.

In a separate statement, Eygi's family condemned the notion that her death was accidental, demanding an independent investigation.

"The Israeli military's preliminary inquiry into Aysenur's killing is wholly inadequate; we are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional," the family said in a statement.

"As we mourn the death of our beloved Aysenur, we reiterate our demand for U.S. government leaders - President Biden, Vice President (Kamala) Harris and Secretary of State (Antony) Blinken - to order an independent investigation into the Israeli military's deliberate targeting and killing of a US Citizen," the statement added.