President Biden said Wednesday he was “outraged and deeply saddened” by the killing of an American activist by an Israeli soldier during a protest in the West Bank last week and that Israel must take “full responsibility” for her death.
In his first lengthy speech on the death of activist Aysenur Eygi, Biden said in a statement that the shooting “that led to her death is totally unacceptable.”
On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it was highly likely that Ms. Eygi had been shot “inadvertently.” Mr. Biden expressed confidence in those findings, saying the United States had “full access” to Israel’s initial investigation and that her death appeared to be “the result of a tragic mistake resulting from an unnecessary escalation.”
“We will continue to remain in close contact with Israeli and Palestinian authorities regarding the circumstances that led to Aysenur's death,” he said. “There must be full accountability. And Israel must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, said in a statement Wednesday that “the killing of Aysenur Eygi is a horrific tragedy that should never have happened.”
“The shooting that led to his death is unacceptable and raises legitimate questions about the conduct of IDF personnel in the West Bank,” he added, referring to the Israeli military.
The Israeli military said it had targeted a person it described as a “main instigator” of the protest, which it called “a violent uprising.” Eyewitnesses strongly disputed Israel's account, saying that the clashes in the area had ended when Ms. Eygi was shot and that they had occurred in a different location.
Mr Biden did not address these reports in his statement, but said that “violence in the West Bank has gone on for far too long,” blaming both “violent extremist Israeli settlers” and “Palestinian terrorists.”
“I will continue to support policies that hold all extremists, Israelis and Palestinians, accountable for fueling violence and obstructing peace,” he said.