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

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By Burak Bir

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

"No one, no one should be shot and killed for attending a protest," Blinken said at a news conference with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London.

Noting extremist illegal settlers' violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, Blinken said the US has seen reports of excessive force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians.

"Now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces. It's not acceptable," he said. "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.”

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

"It has to change, and we'll be making that clear to the seniormost members of the Israeli government," he noted, indicating that there are serious issues that need to be addressed.

"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 of Nablus.

Witnesses reported that Israeli soldiers opened 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.

- Gaza cease-fire talks

On the Gaza Strip, Blinken underlined that the US and the UK are equally determined to end the conflict in Gaza as soon as possible, and the quickest way to do it is by "bringing the cease-fire agreement over the finish line."

"It's the best way to get the hostages home," he said.

Saying that more than 90% of the issues regarding a cease-fire have been agreed, Blinken stated that there are even less than a handful of issues which "are hard but fully resolvable in our judgment."

"We're working intensely with our Egyptian and Qatari counterparts to work together to bridge any gaps, and in the coming time, very soon, we'll put that before the parties," he said.

"Tony's assessment that 90% of the deal is there is completely correct, and in the end, what you need are partners for peace," said Lammy.

He added that what they are talking about is a phased deal, noting the importance of getting to that first phase, and" let us see that pathway to security on both sides."

"On the Middle East, we are completely aligned on the need to secure that cease-fire, completely aligned on the need to get the region onto a path to peace and reconciliation with a two-state solution at its heart," said Lammy.

The Israeli onslaught has killed nearly 41,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured 94,800 others, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.