U.S. demands IDF change West Bank operations after American’s killing

LONDON - Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called on Israeli security forces to make “fundamental changes” in the way they operate in the occupied West Bank, the strongest comments yet from a U.S. official after the Israeli military admitted that it was “highly likely” that it had “unintentionally” shot dead an American Turkish citizen at a demonstration last week.

An initial inquiry by military police had found that Aysenur Eygi, 26, who had arrived in the West Bank a few days earlier as a volunteer, was hit by fire “which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. It said that the shooting took place during a “violent riot” where Palestinians had thrown rocks at Israeli security forces.

Blinken said that the shooting was “not acceptable.”

“No one, no one should be shot and killed for attending a protest,” he said. “No one should have to put their life at risk just to purely express their views. The Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank, including changes in their rules of engagement.”

“It has to change, and we’ll be making that clear to the senior-most members of the Israeli government,” he added.

Eygi, who was raised in the Seattle area and was a recent graduate of the University of Washington, had been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian activist group. She was attending a protest against settlement expansion in the Palestinian village of Beita when she was killed.

Other activists on the scene said there had been a confrontation between Israeli forces and villagers after Friday prayers, where some young residents had thrown rocks. However, they contend that it was quickly dispersed as Israeli forces used live fire and tear gas, with Eygi and other activists retreating down the street.

Eygi was shot in the head as she stood in an olive grove after clashes had subsided, several activists have said.

Blinken said that the Israeli investigation “seems to show what eyewitnesses have said and made clear, that her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified.”

Morris reported from Berlin.