US government demands overhaul of Israeli conduct in West Bank after killing of US citizen

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday demanded an overhaul of Israeli military conduct in the West Bank as they 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 was highly likely its troops had fired the shot that killed her but that her death was unintentional, and it voiced deep regret.

President Joe Biden later told reporters "it ricocheted off the ground" and a U.S. official said that was the conclusion of the Israeli investigation, the results of which were presented to the United States on Tuesday.

Palestinian officials say that Eygi was struck in the head.

Strongest criticism

Eygi's family called Israel's preliminary inquiry "wholly inadequate" and demanded an independent U.S. investigation.

Hamid Ali, Eygi's partner, in response to Biden's comments, said her death "was no accident and her killers must be held accountable."

"The White House has not spoken with us. For four days, we have waited for President Biden to pick up the phone and do the right thing," Ali said.

Blinken and Austin, in their strongest comments to date criticizing the security forces of Washington's closest Middle East ally, described Eygi's killing as "unprovoked and unjustified." They separately said said Washington would insist to the Israeli government that it makes changes to how its forces operated in the West Bank.

"No one should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just for freely expressing their views," Blinken told reporters in London.

"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.

"Now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces. It's not acceptable," Blinken said.

An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment on Blinken's remarks.

Austin spoke to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Pentagon said late on Tuesday, adding he expressed "grave concern for the IDF's responsibility for the unprovoked and unjustified death" of Eygi. He also urged Gallant "to reexamine the IDF's rules of engagement while operating in the West Bank," according to the Pentagon.

The Israeli military earlier 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.

"We're going to want to see where it goes now in terms of the criminal investigation and what they find, and if and how anyone is held accountable," Kirby added.

Vice President Kamala Harris called the killing of Eygi "a horrific tragedy that never should have happened."

Her statement added that the shooting was unacceptable and "raises legitimate questions about the conduct of IDF personnel in the West Bank."

"The United States will continue to hold accountable anyone in the West Bank – Israelis and Palestinians – who stokes violence and undermines peace and stability," she added.

Preliminary inquiry

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."

"The incident took place during a violent riot in which dozens of Palestinian suspects burned tires and hurled rocks towards security forces at the Beita Junction," it said.

Israel has sent a request to Palestinian authorities to carry out an autopsy, it said.

"We are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional," Eygi's family said in a statement.