Biden: Israeli killing of US-Turkish activist appears to be 'accident'
US President Joe Biden has called the shooting of a Turkish-American activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, in the head by an Israeli sniper in the occupied West Bank an 'accident'.
- Americas
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 12:26 | 11 September 2024
- Modified Date: 01:14 | 11 September 2024
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Israel's killing of a US-Turkish activist during a protest in the occupied West Bank last week appeared to have been an accident.
"Apparently it was an accident -- it ricocheted off the ground, and she got hit by accident," Biden told reporters, hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the killing was "unprovoked and unjustified."
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was fatally shot by Israeli forces on Friday during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in Beita, a town just outside of Nablus.
The Israeli army said Tuesday that it is "highly likely" that Eygi was "indirectly and unintentionally" hit by fire from its forces.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel's killing of Eygi was "unprovoked and unjustified" and that it is "unacceptable."
Eygi, born in Antalya, Türkiye in 1998, graduated in June from the University of Washington, where she studied psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures.
She arrived in the West Bank last Tuesday to volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement as part of an effort to support and safeguard Palestinian farmers.