As the Biden administration continues to sweep aside the deaths of Americans at the hands of Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed on Tuesday that Aysenur Ezgi Eygi is the second American to be killed by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank — despite the fact that the Israeli military has killed five Americans there in Blinken’s term in office alone.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Blinken said that the killing of Eygi is “unprovoked and unjustified,” and added: “We’ve long seen reports of the security forces looking the other way when extremist settlers use violence against Palestinians. We’ve seen reports of excessive force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians. And now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces.”
The press conference ended shortly after, with Blinken adding no further context to this claim. But, by any analysis, it’s unclear how Blinken could overlook so many Americans’ deaths at the hands of Israeli soldiers — and the omission of these deaths raises questions about the way U.S. officials deliberately downplay Israel’s violence, even when American citizens are the victims.
In reality, Eygi is far from the second American killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Eygi isn’t even the second American killed by Israeli soldiers this year: Israel has killed at least three Americans in the West Bank just in 2024.
Israeli forces killed Eygi on Friday while she was protesting against illegal Israeli settlements in Beita, near Nablus, in the West Bank. Israeli forces have admitted to shooting and killing the 26-year-old, who was volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
In January, an Israeli settler and Israeli soldiers killed 17-year-old Tawfiq Ajaq, shooting him in the head while he was on his way to a barbecue in a local grove. Israeli military vehicles prevented an ambulance from reaching him for 15 minutes, and he was pronounced dead on arrival at a medical facility. Ajaq was born in Louisiana, and had only moved to the West Bank nine months prior.
Then, just weeks later, Israeli forces killed Mohammad Khdour, shooting him in the head while he was driving to a hillside where people often held barbecues. Khdour was 17 years old and a senior in high school who hoped to return to the U.S. to study law when he graduated.
U.S. officials, including Blinken’s department, are well aware of these incidents; The Associated Press reported that the victims’ families received visits from the American Embassy to investigate the shootings, and the State Department called for an investigation into Ajaq’s killing earlier this year.
The Israeli military has killed at least two other Americans since Blinken was sworn in as Secretary of State in 2021 — killings that the State Department has previously acknowledged.
Blinken himself recently said that he is giving a pass to the Israeli military unit responsible for the death of Omar Assad in 2022. Assad, a small business owner in Milwaukee, was living out his retirement in Ramallah when he was violently attacked one night by Israeli soldiers, who then left him to die. The State Department found that the unit responsible committed human rights violations, but decided not to issue any sanctions on the unit, skirting U.S. law.
Also in 2022, Israeli soldiers shot and killed Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin when she was targeted by Israeli forces. At the time, Blinken said he was “deeply troubled” by her death and called for an “independent, credible investigation” into her killing. Shortly after, the State Department shifted its position, however, and has relied on Israel’s false talking points regarding the killing ever since.
In total, there have been at least nine recorded incidents in recent decades of Americans killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, according to a report by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project.
Other Americans killed by Israeli forces, dating back to 2003, include Rachel Corrie, Furkan Doğan, Orwa Hammad and Mahmoud Shaalan. Because there are few public resources on these deaths — and because the U.S. government has swept them under the rug — it’s possible that Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank have killed many more Americans.
Like those killings, the Biden administration appears poised to attempt to minimize Eygi’s death. Administration officials have been largely deflecting questions about her killing, and have thus far refused to open an independent investigation into her death or announce policies like withholding arms to pressure Israel into changing its illegal practices.
“Dear Americans, If you are killed by the Israeli government, our country won’t care,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) on social media on Monday. “No one will be held accountable. It doesn’t matter who you are, Israel can kill Americans and get away with it.”
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