Rep. Jayapal urges US investigation into IDF killing of Seattle woman
SEATTLE - A month later and with seemingly no progress made, U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal is renewing calls for the U.S. government to conduct an independent investigation into the Israeli military's killing of Ayşenur Eygi in September.
Eygi, a Turkish-American who grew up in West Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington, was killed in the Palestinian city of Nablus on Sept. 6, 2024. Eygi was among a group of pro-Palestine activists protesting against illegal Israeli settlements into the West Bank.
The Israel Defense Force claims protesters were clashing with Israeli soldiers, but eyewitness accounts and video show there was a period of ‘calm,’ during which Eygi and others moved 230 yards up the road, away from where a previous confrontation took place.
It was during this period of calm that an IDF sniper shot Eygi in the head and killed her.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8: Pro-Palestinian activists hold up a effigy of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a demonstration in Lafayette Park in front of the White House to protest the war in Gaza on June 8, 2024 in Washington, DC. As the Is (Photo by Samuel Corum // Getty Images)
The U.S. government has faced some criticism for a perceived "tepid" response to the killing. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called for changes in the IDF's practices, and the Biden administration condemned the attack — but Jayapal says it is not enough.
Jayapal issued the following statement on Tuesday afternoon:
"It has been 32 days since Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was killed in the West Bank, and we have seen no movement toward an independent investigation by the U.S. government and no additional information on changes in the practices of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units that are using live ammunition on those who are peacefully protesting.
"I have had numerous briefings with State Department officials, and I have been in close touch with Eygi’s family, as her father is my constituent. I am frankly appalled with the lack of movement on this case. I have received no information that gives me any assurance that the killing of a U.S. citizen by the IDF is being treated with the urgency it deserves. Secretary Blinken called the killing of Eygi ‘unprovoked and unjustified’, and the Israeli government has acknowledged that it is ‘highly likely’ that Eygi was killed by the IDF. The Washington Post conducted its own investigation into Eygi’s killing, based on eyewitness accounts. That report directly challenged the Israeli government’s account of what happened.
"As Senator Murray and I detailed in our letter, this is not the first time Israeli forces have killed U.S. citizens. We are seeing history repeat itself in a dangerous and unacceptable way. In 2003, Rachel Corrie, a U.S. citizen from Washington State was killed in the West Bank, and despite more than 70 Members of Congress calling for an independent investigation, no such action was taken. Just this year, three U.S. citizens have been killed in the West Bank. U.S. citizens must be safe abroad and if they are killed, our government must act. It is that simple.
"The U.S. is the largest backer of military assistance to Israel. If the Israeli government is unwilling or unable to follow our own domestic laws as well as international humanitarian laws, we must demand accountability by stopping certain offensive U.S. military assistance. In this situation, to ensure the trust of our own U.S. citizens, we must initiate our own investigation into Eygi’s killing, use our leverage to demand changes to the IDF’s rules of engagement, and apply our domestic laws to this situation for full accountability.
"Recently, 102 members of Congress wrote a letter calling for an independent investigation into Eygi’s killing. My colleagues and I will not rest until we have answers."
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