The partner of slain Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi rejected US President Joe Biden's characterization of her shooting by an Israeli sniper in the occupied West Bank last week as "an accident."
"She was fatally shot in the head by a bullet that came from an Israeli sniper positioned 200 meters away. This was no accident, and her killer must be held accountable," Hamid Ali said Tuesday in a statement.
He said that Aysenur was "peacefully standing for justice as an international observer and witness to Palestinian suffering."
Ali's statement came after Biden told reporters that "apparently it was an accident -- it ricocheted off the ground, and she got hit by accident. I'm working that out now,"
The Israeli army said Tuesday that it is "highly likely" that Eygi was "indirectly and unintentionally" hit by fire from its forces.
Eygi, 26, a dual Turkish-US national, was killed by Israeli forces during a protest Friday against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita.
Ali also criticized the lack of communication from the White House, saying: "For four days, we have waited for President Biden to pick up the phone and do the right thing: To call us, offer his condolences, and let us know that he is ordering an independent investigation of the killing of Aysenur."
Biden has not spoken with the family of Eygi to offer his condolences, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday in response to a question.
In a separate statement, Eygi's family expressed outrage over any suggestion that her death at the hands of an Israeli sniper was unintentional, reiterating their call for an independent investigation into her killing.
"The Israeli military's preliminary inquiry into Aysenur's killing is wholly inadequate; we are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional," the family said in a statement.
"As we mourn the death of our beloved Aysenur, we reiterate our demand for US government leaders -- President Biden, Vice President (Kamala) Harris and Secretary of State (Antony) Blinken -- to order an independent investigation into the Israeli military's deliberate targeting and killing of a US Citizen," the statement added.
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, moved to the US with her family when she was an infant and 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.
US deputy envoy to the UN Robert Wood reacted Tuesday to criticism over Washington's response to the killing of Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by Israeli forces, emphasizing that there is "no difference between American citizens" when it comes to such tragedies.
Responding to a question from Anadolu at the UN headquarters in New York about the killing of Eygi in the occupied West Bank last Friday, Wood said he had seen the preliminary findings from Israel's investigation.
"The Israelis said and they believe that she was unfortunately killed, not intentionally by the IDF," he said.
Wood said he expresses deep concern over the death of any American citizen and noted that US officials remain in contact with Israeli authorities to gather all the details.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged the Israeli military to reexamine its rules of engagement during a phone call Tuesday with his Israeli counterpart after Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was killed last week by an Israeli sniper in the occupied West Bank, according to the Pentagon.
"Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today to express his grave concern for the IDF's responsibility for the unprovoked and unjustified death of American citizen Aysenur Eygi while she was attending a protest in the West Bank," the Pentagon said in a statement.
"The Secretary urged Minister Gallant to reexamine the IDF's rules of engagement while operating in the West Bank," the statement added.
According to the Pentagon, Austin also offered his condolences for three Israeli civilians who were killed in a shooting at the Allenby Crossing on the border between the occupied West Bank and Jordan and reiterated the importance of reaching a cease-fire in Gaza and hostage swap deal.
Eygi, 26, a dual Turkish-US national, was killed by Israeli forces during a protest Friday against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita.
The Israeli army said Tuesday that it is "highly likely" that Eygi was "indirectly and unintentionally" hit by fire from its forces.
US President Joe Biden called the shooting of Eygi in the head by an Israeli sniper an "accident," adding that the bullet apparently "ricocheted off the ground, and she got hit."
Biden has not spoken with the family of Eygi to offer his condolences, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday in response to a question.
In a separate statement, Eygi's family expressed outrage over any suggestion that her death at the hands of an Israeli sniper was unintentional, reiterating their calls for an independent investigation into her killing.
"The Israeli military's preliminary inquiry into Aysenur's killing is wholly inadequate; we are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional," the family said in a statement.
"As we mourn the death of our beloved Aysenur, we reiterate our demand for US government leaders -- President Biden, Vice President (Kamala) Harris and Secretary of State (Antony) Blinken -- to order an independent investigation into the Israeli military's deliberate targeting and killing of a US Citizen," the statement added.
