The family of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American woman who was killed by Israeli forces during a protest near Shechem (Nablus) in September, plans to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday to demand an independent US-led investigation into her death, Eygi's sister told Reuters on Tuesday.
"For the last three months, Blinken and State Department officials have repeatedly told us to wait for Israel, the government whose army perpetrated the crime against Aysenur, to investigate itself. This cannot stand," Eygi's sister, Ozden Bennett, said in a statement.
Bennett, along with Eygi's widower, Hamid Ali, will join other family members in meeting with Blinken and State Department officials.
Eygi was killed on September 6 while participating in a violent riot in which dozens of Palestinian Arab suspects burned tires and hurled rocks toward security forces at the Beita Junction.
The IDF conducted a probe into Eygi’s death, finding that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire which was not aimed at her, but rather at the key instigator of the riot.
Eygi's killing has drawn criticism from Washington, though the US has not announced any significant policy changes toward Israel—a stance the family has condemned. Blinken described Eygi's death as "unprovoked."
Hours after the results of the investigation were announced, US President Joe Biden was asked about the death of Eygi and replied, “Apparently, it was an accident, ricocheted off the ground, and just hit by accident. I'm working that out now.”
Subsequently, however, Biden released a more critical statement of Israel, condemning Eygi’s death as unacceptable.
Later, US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris called the killing of Eygi “unacceptable”, and said that the US will press Israel for answers.