President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for “full accountability” for the killing of an American activist protesting settlements in the West Bank after Israel said she was likely shot “unintentionally” by Israeli forces.
In a statement, the president said he was “outraged” and “deeply saddened” by Aysenur Eygi’s death, calling the shooting “totally unacceptable.”
“Israel has acknowledged its responsibility for Aysenur’s death, and a preliminary investigation has indicated that it was the result of a tragic error resulting from an unnecessary escalation,” the statement from Biden continued. “There must be full accountability. And Israel must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again.”
The 26-year-old activist from Seattle was shot and killed last week during a demonstration in the West Bank that at one point saw clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces. Israel on Tuesday said its inquiry found that it is “highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot.”
The statement from the Israeli Defense Forces said Israel has requested an autopsy and expressed “deepest regret” over Aysenur’s death.
Vice President Kamala Harris – who has used more forceful language when it comes to Israel’s actions in Gaza, but has not publicly backed any concrete policies changes that stray from the president’s approach to the monthslong war – also honed in on accountability in her statement issued on Wednesday.
“The shooting that led to her death is unacceptable and raises legitimate questions about the conduct of IDF personnel in the West Bank,” the vice president said, adding that the U.S. will “continue to press” Israel for answers on the incident.
“The United States will continue to hold accountable anyone in the West Bank – Israelis and Palestinians – who stokes violence and undermines peace and stability,” her statement read.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank amid the war in Gaza with Israel recently launching fresh raids in the Palestinian territory. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Israeli individuals and entities it says are tied to acts of violence against civilians in the West Bank.
Following the release of the findings of Israel’s initial investigation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said its long-time Middle East ally should make “fundamental changes” to the way it operates in the Palestinian territory.
“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,” Blinken said during a press conference in London. “We’ve long seen reports of the security forces looking the other way when extremist settlers use violence against Palestinians. We’ve seen reports of excessive force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians. And now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces.”
“It’s not acceptable, it has to change and we’ll be making that clear to the senior-most members of the Israeli Government,” he added.
In a statement on Instagram, the family of the American killed called for an independent investigation into the shooting, calling an Israeli investigation "not adequate."
“We call on President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary of State Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a US citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties,” the statement read in part.