Türkiye’s opposition leader on Thursday slammed the United States for its reaction to the killing of Turkish-American activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi who was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank earlier this month.
“The U.S. derives its strength from protecting its citizens wherever they are in the world. However, the U.S. could not stand up for its citizen Ayşenur because Israel is its soft underbelly,” Özgür Özel, the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP), told reporters at the Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York, where Türkiye's Consulate General and Permanent Mission to the U.N. are located.
Eygi, 26, a dual Turkish-U.S. national, was killed by Israeli forces on Sept. 6 during a peaceful protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
A preliminary investigation by the Israeli army found that Eygi was "highly likely" hit "indirectly and unintentionally" by Israeli fire targeting a main instigator during the protest.
However, video evidence and eyewitness accounts have contradicted Israel's version of events. A recent report by The Washington Post revealed that Eygi was shot more than 30 minutes after the peak of confrontations in Beita and about 20 minutes after protesters had moved over 200 yards down the main road, away from Israeli forces.
A post-mortem examination of Eygi in Türkiye also said she was killed by a long-distance shot.
Eygi's family says she was killed in a targeted attack and is calling on the U.S. government to launch an independent investigation into her killing, similar to the one being conducted by the Turkish government.
Ankara said it would safeguard Eygi’s rights and would deliver a report and evidence to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which would also be presented to the ongoing trial of Israeli perpetrators of crimes in Gaza at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The CHP leader, in New York for the Socialist International Presidium meeting, said he largely focused on the Palestinian issue during his three-day program.
Özel said he also met Ersin Tatar, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), who was in New York for U.N. week, reaffirming his party's commitment to the Cyprus issue.
He praised the Turkish House building as "a source of pride for all," expressing the party's desire to hold programs at the facility.
