U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Friday called for the Justice Department to open independent investigations into the Israeli killing of Turkish American activist in the West Bank.
"By continuing to credulously accept the explanations of an extremist Israeli government whose stated goal is to annex the West Bank and push Palestinians off their land, the United States makes a mockery of its values and abdicates its responsibility to investigate and respond to attacks on its citizens," the Vermont independent senator said in a statement.
"The U.S. Justice Department must open its own, independent investigations into these attacks on American citizens by the Israeli security forces," Sanders wrote.
Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was fatally shot in the head by Israeli forces while peacefully protesting an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Despite medical efforts, she died from her injuries on Sept. 6.
Sanders criticized U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris who sent the same message following her death: "There must be full accountability."
"Let's be clear: there will be no accountability if the United States defers to the extremist Israeli government to investigate its own actions," Sanders said, stressing that there were no accountability either when other American citizens were killed by Israel.
"And, of course, there has been no accountability for the nearly 700 Palestinians, including 150 children, killed in the West Bank over the last 11 months by Israeli security forces and settlers. There has been no accountability for repeated Israeli settler attacks, enabled by security forces, on Palestinian towns and villages. No meaningful response to the burning of Palestinian homes and businesses," said Sanders.
"This is a clear pattern. These are not mistakes. This is policy: shoot first, ask no questions later. The lack of credible investigations into these incidents, let alone consequences, speaks for itself. The Israeli government's explanations are routinely disproved by investigative journalists," Sanders added.
Calling on the FBI to immediately collect testimony and forensic evidence, Sanders also said Biden must act to bring real pressure to bear to change Israeli policy.
The U.S. cannot continue to "turn a blind eye to the illegal actions of the extremist Israeli government," he reiterated.
"We cannot allow American citizens and innocent Palestinians to be killed with impunity. We must act," Sanders added.
Eygi's body was returned to Türkiye on Friday. Türkiye also launched an investigation into the killing under domestic law on Thursday.
