Blinken demands overhaul of Israeli conduct in West Bank after killing of US protester

Blinken demands overhaul of Israeli conduct in West Bank after killing of US protester Show Caption Hide Caption Turkish-American woman killed at West Bank protest Palestinian paramedics in the Israeli-occupied West Bank carried the body of Turkish-American woman Aysenur Ezgi Eygi to an ambulance, after she was shot by Israeli troops while taking part in a protest against settlement expansion. JERUSALEM − Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday demanded an overhaul of Israeli military conduct in the occupied West Bank as he decried the fatal shooting of an American protester against settlement expansion, which Israel said was accidental. Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, who is also a Turkish national, was shot dead last Friday at a protest march in Beita, a village near Nablus where Palestinians have been repeatedly attacked by far-right Jewish settlers. Israel’s military said on Tuesday that its initial inquiry found it highly likely its troops had fired the shot that killed her but that her death was unintentional, and it voiced deep regret. In his strongest comments to date criticizing the security forces of Washington’s closest Middle East ally, Blinken described Eygi’s killing as “unprovoked and unjustified.” He said Washington would insist the Israeli government makes changes to how its forces operate in the West Bank. More: American citizen killed in West Bank anti-settler protest Palestinians describe ‘brutal’ West Bank settler attack Burnt-out shells of vehicles lining the road were smoldering evidence of what residents and officials described as a rampage by Israeli settlers through the occupied West Bank. “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. More: White House: Biden has not called family of American citizen killed in West Bank by Israeli troops The Israeli military said an investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division was under way and its findings would be submitted for higher-level review once completed. “We’re going to be watching that very, very closely,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, saying a criminal probe was an unusual step by Israel’s military. More: Top UN court says Israeli West Bank settlements are illegal Preliminary inquiry in American’s death In a statement, the Israeli military said its commanders had conducted an initial investigation into the incident and found that the gunfire was not aimed at her but another individual it called “the key instigator of the riot.” More: President Biden sanctions West Bank settlers in a rebuke of Israeli violence A surge in violent settler assaults on Palestinians in the West Bank has stirred anger among Western allies of Israel, including the United States, which has imposed sanctions on some Israelis involved in the hardline settler movement. Ultra-nationalist members of Israel’s ruling coalition have acted to legalize previously unauthorized outposts like Evyatar, a move Washington says threatens the stability of the West Bank and undercuts efforts toward a two-state solution to the conflict. Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, an area Palestinians want as the core of a future independent state. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/israel-hamas/2024/09/10/blinken-blasts-israel-aysenur-ezgi-eygi/75161514007/