Source: Bloomberg
The official website of the Kataeb Party leader
Monday 9 September 2024 10:24:21
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is investigating the death of an American citizen who was shot and killed during a protest in the West Bank, an incident that threatened to further strain ties with Israel.
Blinken declined to answer if the killing might prompt a re-evaluation of the Biden administration’s move to keep sending weapons to Israel, its longtime ally, despite criticism of Israeli forces’ handling of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.
“We are intensely focused on getting those facts,” Blinken told reporters during a briefing in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. “And any actions that we take are driven by the facts. So, first things first, let’s find out exactly what happened, and we will draw the necessary conclusions and consequences from that.”
News reports said Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American, was shot and killed during a protest in the West Bank town of Beita. In a social media post, the Israel Defense Forces said troops fired toward a person it called “a main instigator” of violence that posed a threat to troops during operations near Beita.
“The IDF is looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area,” it said.
Eygi also held Turkish citizenship, according to a statement from the government in Ankara. Turkey blamed Israel for the death.
“The Israeli authorities who commit crimes against humanity and those who unconditionally support them will be held accountable before international courts,” the foreign ministry said.