Blinken says killing of Turkish American activist in West Bank 'both unprovoked, unjustified'

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that Israel’s killing of Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the occupied West Bank is both "unprovoked and unjustified," stressing that it is "unacceptable."

"No one, no one should be shot and killed for attending a protest," Blinken said at a joint news conference with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, mentioning that Eygi is the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces.

"I think what we saw this investigation … it seems to show what eyewitnesses have said and made clear that her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified," he said.

Blinken went on to say that no one should have to put their life at risk just for freely expressing their view.

"In our judgment, 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 added.

Eygi, 26, a dual US and Turkish national, was fatally shot by Israeli forces last Friday during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in Beita, a town just outside the city of Nablus.

Witnesses reported that Israeli soldiers opened live fire on demonstrators. Though she was standing away from the main protest area, she was fatally shot in the head. Despite being rushed to a hospital, medical workers were unable to save her.

Eygi, born in Antalya, Türkiye, in 1998, graduated in June from the University of Washington, where she studied psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures.

She arrived in the West Bank last Tuesday to volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement as part of an effort to support and safeguard Palestinian farmers.