US Demands “Fundamental Changes” to Israeli Forces After American Activist Killed in West Bank Protest

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has demanded “fundamental changes” to the way Israeli forces operate in the occupied West Bank following the killing of American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi during a protest last week, CNN reports.

Blinken’s strong condemnation comes after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it was “highly likely” that Eygi was “hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire.” The IDF initially stated that the shot was not aimed at Eygi, but at a “key instigator” of a “violent riot” near the Beita Junction, where Palestinians allegedly burned tires and threw rocks at Israeli security forces.

However, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), with whom Eygi was volunteering, maintains that the September 6 protest was peaceful.

At a news conference in London, Blinken labeled Eygi’s death “unprovoked and unjustified” and called for changes to the rules of engagement of Israeli forces in the West Bank.

“No one should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just for expressing their views,” he declared. “This is the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces. It’s not acceptable. It has to change. We’ll be making that clear to the senior-most members of the Israeli government.”

Blinken further pointed to longstanding concerns about Israeli forces neglecting extremist settler violence against Palestinians and using excessive force against Palestinians.

The escalating violence in the occupied West Bank follows the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza. In recent months, the US has imposed sanctions targeting Israeli settler violence against Palestinians.

Eygi’s family, who have blamed Israel for her death, expressed deep offense at the suggestion of an unintentional killing. They are calling for an independent investigation into her death and deemed the IDF’s inquiry “wholly inadequate.”

The ISM echoed this sentiment, dismissing Israel’s claim as “specious” and labeling Eygi “one of the hundreds of thousands of martyrs Israel has killed over decades of ethnic cleansing, displacement, and genocide.”