Vigil held outside White House for Turkish-American activist killed by Israel

WASHINGTON (AA) – A vigil was held Monday evening outside the White House in memory of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist killed by Israeli forces on Sept. 6 during a peaceful protest in the occupied West Bank.

Eygi’s father Mehmet Suat Eygi, sister Ozden Bennett and husband Hamid Ali, joined the event at Lafayette Square alongside Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and numerous attendees demanding justice for her killing.

Addressing the gathering, Tlaib, who represents Michigan’s 12th District and is the only Palestinian American in Congress, criticized President Joe Biden for failing to order an independent investigation into Eygi’s death, instead deferring to an ongoing Israeli probe that has yet to deliver accountability more than three months after her killing.

“We know that President Biden recently said ‘If you harm an American, we will respond.’ But his inaction has made it clear once again that when it comes to the Israeli government murdering Americans, it’s a complete lie,” Tlaib said.

She also criticized Biden’s earlier characterization of Eygi’s death as a “tragic error.”

“We all know that Aysenur’s murder was not a ‘tragic error,’” she said. “It was devastating for her family to hear them say that, and we know that and she knew that what the Israeli military did to her, they do to the Palestinians every single day,”

Tlaib called for accountability, demanding an independent investigation.

“Justice for Aysenur, justice for (American activist) Rachel (Corrie), justice for (Palestinian-American) Omar Assad, justice for (Palestinian-American journalist) Shireen Abu Akleh, and justice for the tens of thousands of Palestinians murdered by the Israeli government in the genocide every single day,” she said.

– ‘Aysenur died fighting for others’ –

Hamid Ali, Eygi’s husband, expressed frustration with the Biden administration, noting that while officials called her death “unprovoked” and “unjustified,” they have yet to hold Israel accountable.

“Where is the justice, and what exactly is taking so d**n long?” Ali said. “If the US had held Israel accountable for the killings of other Americans like Rachel Corrie or Shireen Abu Akleh, perhaps Israeli soldiers wouldn’t feel so emboldened to kill Americans and other civilians today.”

Ozden Bennett, Eygi’s sister, described her as a “global citizen,” which she said is an “example of the best of what it means to be an American and human.”

“She was just 26 years old. She had just graduated college, excited to explore the next chapter of her life,” Bennett said. “But Aysenur, unfortunately, didn’t get that opportunity. It was stripped from her the moment the still unidentified soldier targeted, shot and killed her on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.

“Aysenur died fighting for others, as did many before her. Justice for Aysenur would be one step closer to justice for other victims of senseless violence by the Israeli military,” she said.

Eygi was killed by Israeli forces during a peaceful protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

A preliminary investigation by Israel found that she was “highly likely” hit “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli fire that was targeting a “main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks” during the protest.

Video evidence and witness accounts, however, have contradicted Israel’s version of events, with many saying she was directly hit by an Israeli sniper.

A report by The Washington Post also revealed that Eygi was shot more than 30 minutes after the peak of confrontations in Beita and about 20 minutes after protesters had moved over 200 yards down the main road, away from Israeli forces.

Turkish prosecutors launched an investigation on Sept. 11 into the killing Eygi, who was laid to rest in the town of Didim in western Türkiye.