Where Was The Telephone Call From Netanyahu To Biden And Erdogan? Aysenur Was More Than A “Foreign National” Her Death In Olive Grove Awful Irony. UNGA Spectacle Certain.
Where Was The Telephone Call?
Symbol Of The Olive Grove.
Aysenur Was More Than A “Foreign National”
Teeing Up Heads Of State Versus Head Of Government Spectacle For The UNGA This Month.
Politicians Say They Are “Heartbroken” For Citizens Of Gaza, But Continue To Empower IDF.
From Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Of The State Of Israel (2022- , 2009-2021, 1996-1999), To Joseph Biden, President of the United States (2021-2025), and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye (2014- )?
Offering Condolences, Apologies, And Confirming All Resources Would Be Available To Learn What Happened To Ms. Aysenur Eygi And To Then Hold Those Responsible?
From Perspective Of One Senior-Level Official Of The Government Of The State Of Israel, “She Got What She Deserved. Troublemaker.”
Might Death Of Turkish-American In Occupied West Bank Of The Palestinian Territories Provide Moment For President Biden And President Erdogan? Political Cover For Engagement About Gaza, Israel, Syria, And Ukraine? During The United Nations General Assembly?
Problem Remains President Biden’s “Ironclad” Support For The State of Israel Regardless Of The Number Of Murdered Palestinians, Palestinian-Americans, And United States Citizens By IDF Or Citizens Of The State Of Israel.
Even If IDF Confirms It Murdered Ms. Eygi, What Will Be The Response By The Government Of The State Of Israel? An Apology?
The Response By The Biden-Harris Administration (2021-2025) Is Likely To Be An Exercise In Imponent Political Vacillation Because President Biden Remains Unwilling To Recognize The Realities Of The 21st Century State of Israel Rather Then Remain Adhered To His Mid-20th Century State Of Israel Mindset. He Will Do Anything Possible To Avoid Holding Accountable The Government Of The State Of Israel- Particularly Prior To The United States Presidential Election On 5 November 2024.
President Biden’s Willingness To Absorb Humiliation By Government Of The State of Isreal Has No Limits... As Does His Support For The Government Of The State Of Israel.
Perversely ironic for twenty-six-year-old Aysenur Eygi, born in Antalya, Turkiye, and a United States citizen, to be murdered by a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while in an olive grove.
“There are many meanings of the olive tree. It is a symbol of friendship and reconciliation, cleansing and healing, light, victory and richness and, above all, a sign of peace.”
Unsurprising for another young person of any nationality to be murdered in the Occupied West Bank of the Palestinian Territories or in Gaza. For the government of the State of Israel, there are no limits to the acceptable number of dead, wounded, maimed, or orphaned, particularly Muslims. And despite their statements to the contrary, during the last eleven months other governments continue to enable the government of the State of Israel.
· Since the 1967 Middle East war, the State of Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians seek as the foundation of an independent state. The State of Israel has authorized settlements to be constructed in the occupied West Bank that most governments deem illegal, which the State of Israel disputes citing historical and biblical connectivity to the real estate.
Instructive to view how the government of the State of Israel, and media in the State of Israel, United Kingdom, and United States defined Ms. Eygi:
Government of the State of Israel: “Foreign National”
The Times of Israel: “an American originally from Turkey, was an activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).”
BBC: “American” and “American-Turkish”
CNN: “American”
Fox News: “American-Turkish”
NPR: “American” and “Turkish dual and American citizen”
The intelligence agencies in the State of Israel, Shin Bet, Aman, and Mossad knew prior to 6 September 2024 the identity of Ms. Eygi- and what she was doing in the State of Israel and where she was in the State of Isarel. Her location, purpose of her visit to the State of Israel and to the Occupied West Bank were secret from no one. Ms. Eygi is due more respect than be spoken of as a “foreign national.”
Want to infuriate citizens of Turkiye and citizens of the United States? Use the phrase “foreign national” rather than Turkish-American, Turkish, or American.
That is precisely what the government of the State of Israel has done. Despicably disrespectful. The government of the State of Israel is not using “foreign national” by mistake- it is a deliberate decision to avoid accountability to the government of Turkiye and to the government of the United States. A slimy strategy.
The death of Ms. Eygi should be appalling to the Biden-Harris Administration, citizens of the United States. and particularly to taxpayers in the United States whose payments provide more than US$3.8 billion annually (which the government of the State of Israel does not need) and an additional US$26 billion (which the government of the State of Israel also did not need) since 7 October 2023 to the government of the State of Israel. Many bullets, drones, missiles, and rockets, used by the IDF throughout the Occupied West Bank and throughout Gaza are sourced from United States-based companies and paid for by United States taxpayers.
Israel Has Approximately US$200 Billion In Foreign Reserves. 18th Largest In The World. With US$522 Billion, Ranks 29th Of 193 Countries Globally By Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Within two weeks, President Biden, President Erdogan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu will be in New York City to participate in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the annual gathering of the 193-members.
On the morning of the first day, 24 September 2024, the first three speakers, in order, are Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, President Biden, and President Erdogan. Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks during the afternoon on 26 September 2024.
On its face, the murder of one person, in this instance a twenty-six-year-old woman born in Antalya, Turkiye, who is also a citizen of the United States, is likely not the blunt political instrument which should be a catalyst for a merger of the disparate interests of President Biden and President Erdogan relating to the State of Israel.
Those disparate perspectives do, however, align to some degree- stopping the war, removing the IDF from occupying Gaza, and supporting a two-state outcome. The mechanics to achieve these goals do not align. They are parallel. They intersect. They are perpendicular. They circle one another. They aim at one another.
President Erdogan was expected to use his annual address to the United Nations General Assembly this month in New York City to discuss, as in past years, the global role for Muslims- and the issues they encounter in many countries; the Russian Federation-Ukraine war which Turkiye has and continues to work with both countries towards a resolution; to expanding the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) from the current five permanent members (China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States) and to alter the process by which non-permanent members are selected. President Erdogan has endorsed India as the next permanent member of the UNSC.
Lastly, he is expected to lament the increasingly irrelevant 193-member United Nations (UN) because members, particularly the five permanent members have veto power over UNSC resolutions and, most pointedly, because governments only support resolutions when they benefit them. Until governments abide by UN, UNGA, and UNSC resolutions they do not like, only then will the UN have legitimacy and relevancy.
With the murder of Ms. Eygi, President Erdogan will take verbal aim at the government of the State of Isreal in a far more personal way. He is expected to condemn decisions by the government of the State of Israel- and not only those since 7 October 2023, but those taken in the previous decades.
What to watch for? Will the Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Permanent Representative of the State of Israel to the United Nations attend and remain for the duration of the address by President Erdogan?
NOTE: In 1949, the Republic of Turkiye was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize the sovereignty of the State of Israel.
Both President Biden and President Erdogan are facing a creeping reality embraced during the last eleven months by Prime Minister Netanyahu. While release of living hostages and recovering the remains of deceased hostages remains important, Prime Minister Netanyahu is appreciating that if the remaining living hostages become deceased hostages, the citizens of the State of Israel will be angry with him, but their hostility towards the organization Hamas will be, even for a brief period, focused more upon revenge toward the organization Hamas- and they will want the government of the State of Isreal to be the instrument of that revenge. Prime Minister Netanyahu will oblige.
This means the IDF would be directed to do in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank what some members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cabinet wanted to do for years prior to 7 October 2023 and for every day since 7 October 2023: Destroy every structure in Gaza, destroy every necessary instrument to sustain life- water, electricity, gas, hospitals, schools, roads, and bridges. The goal is the approximately 2.3 million residents of Gaza will need to leave, want to leave, have no choice but to leave- to Egypt, to Lebanon, to Jordan… into the Mediterranean Sea. Let the Great Migration re-commence.
“We have always said we would help Israel defend itself, where people might be thinking some of these weapons are being used offensively,” she added. “It’s a challenge. It’s not as easy as it may seem, but I do think that we should be able to use our leverage more fully with Israel to make sure that the collateral damage to civilians is not anything that we can associate ourselves with… Until we get to a solution we still will have these challenges, but it is, it really is heartbreaking.” Nancy Pelosi (D- California), United States House of Representatives
United States Department of State
Washington DC
6 September 2024
Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Dominican President Luis Abinader At a Joint Press Availability
QUESTION: Thanks so much. Michael Birnbaum from the Washington Post. Mr. Secretary, we’ve seen these reports this morning about the killing of an American in the West Bank. Could you tell us a little bit about what you know about the killing of that American, Aysenur Eygi. What’s your message for Americans who are concerned that you are providing military aid to a country that is killing U.S. citizens? And is there ever a point at which the killing of Americans in that region could lead to a change in U.S. policy of weapons provision? And Mr. President, could I just ask a little bit about the U.S. election? Could you tell us about your outreach to the Trump campaign and what you are doing to insulate your country against the possibility of general changes in U.S. foreign policy? Thanks a lot.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Michael, thank you. First, I just want to extend my deepest condolences, the condolences of the United States Government to the family of Aysenur Eygi. We deplore this tragic loss. Now the most important thing to do is to gather the facts, and that’s exactly what we’re in the process of doing, and we are intensely focused on getting those facts. And any actions that we take are driven by the facts. So first things first, let’s find out exactly what happened, and we will draw the necessary conclusions, consequences from that. As you’ve heard me say many times before, I have no higher priority than the safety and protection of American citizens around the world, wherever they are, something I take with the utmost seriousness. So when we have more info, we’ll share it, make it available, and as necessary, we’ll act on it.
The White House
Washington DC
6 September 2024
Q: Mr. President, any update on the West Bank? Mr. President, on the West Bank? On the shooting?
BIDEN: [Inaudible], I’ll have more details for you later. I don’t have them yet, not yet.
Q: On the shooting in the West Bank?
BIDEN: That’s what I was talking about—I need more information, that’s why I was late coming down, because I was on the phone, talking to my team. But I’ll have more information later.
United States Senate
Washington DC
6 September 2024
United States Senator Christopher Van Hollen (D- Maryland) said Aysenur Eygi was the third United States citizen murdered in the Occupied West Bank since 7 October 2023. The “Biden Administration has not been doing enough to pursue justice and accountability on their behalf. If the Netanyahu Government will not pursue justice for Americans, the United States Department of Justice must.”
The White House
Washington DC
10 September 2024
Q What’s your reaction, sir, to the killing of the -- of the Israeli admission that they probably killed the Turkish activist in the West Bank?
THE PRESIDENT: I’m finding more detail. Apparently, it was an accident. It ricocheted off the ground and it -- got hit by accident. But we’ll have -- I’m working that out now.
The White House
Washington DC
11 September 2024
Statement from President Joe Biden on Aysenur Eygi
I am outraged and deeply saddened by the death of Aysenur Eygi. Aysenur was a recent U.S. college graduate. She was also an activist whose idealism led her to travel to the West Bank to peacefully protest the expansion of settlements. The shooting that led to her death is totally unacceptable.
Israel has acknowledged its responsibility for Aysenur’s death, and a preliminary investigation has indicated that it was the result of a tragic error resulting from an unnecessary escalation. The U.S. government has had full access to Israel’s preliminary investigation, and expects continued access as the investigation continues, so that we can have confidence in the result. We will continue to stay in close contact with Israeli and Palestinian authorities regarding the circumstances that led to Aysenur’s death. There must be full accountability. And Israel must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again.
The violence in the West Bank has been going on for too long. Violent extremist Israeli settlers are uprooting Palestinians from their homes. Palestinian terrorists are sending car bombs to kill civilians. I will continue to support policies that hold all extremists – Israelis and Palestinians alike – accountable for stoking violence and serving as obstacles to peace.
The White House
Washington DC
11 September 2024
Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on Aysenur Eygi
The killing of Aysenur Eygi is a horrific tragedy that never should have happened. Doug and I are keeping her family and loved ones in our prayers. Aysenur was peacefully protesting in the West Bank—standing up against the expansion of settlements—when her young life was senselessly cut short. No one should be killed for participating in a peaceful protest. The shooting that led to her death is unacceptable and raises legitimate questions about the conduct of IDF personnel in the West Bank. Israel must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again.
Israel’s preliminary investigation indicated it was the result of a tragic error for which the IDF is responsible. We will continue to press the government of Israel for answers and for continued access to the findings of the investigation so we can have confidence in the results. There must be full accountability. The United States will continue to hold accountable anyone in the West Bank – Israelis and Palestinians – who stokes violence and undermines peace and stability.
Washington Post
Washington DC
6 September 2024
An American woman was killed Friday in the occupied West Bank, the State Department said. Two witnesses said the woman was shot in the head by Israeli forces who had opened fire. The woman, Aysenur Eygi, a 26-year old volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian activist group, had been attending a protest against Jewish settlement expansion in the town of Beita when she was shot, her colleagues said. Copies of her passport that circulated online said she was born in Turkey and the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that she was a citizen.
The Israel Defense Forces said it was “looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area.” The statement said that Israeli forces in the area of Beita, in the northern West Bank, “responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them.”
“The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review,” it said.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that the United States was “aware of the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Eygi, today in the West Bank.”
“We offer our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death, and will have more to say as we learn more. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,” Miller said.
Jonathan Pollak, a volunteer with ISM, said the shooting took place about 30 minutes after protesters had dispersed, at a time when there were no active clashes taking place, and as foreign volunteers, including Eygi, stood observing at a distance of about 200 yards from the Israeli military. “There was no justification for taking that shot,” he said. When he and his colleagues arrived in Beita on Friday, soldiers were already deployed around a site where people were set to perform Friday prayers, he said. As soon as the prayers were over, “clashes began,” he said. The soldiers used tear gas and live ammunition “almost immediately.” There was also “stone throwing” at the soldiers, he said.
The ISM activists retreated some distance away, down a hill, some 200 yards from the town where the soldiers were stationed. “We stood there for about half an hour,” he said. The soldiers took over a rooftop in the town, “a controlling rooftop” he said. Eygi was in an olive grove, according to Pollak and another ISM volunteer who spoke on condition she be identified by her first name, Mariam, for fear of retribution.
“I didn’t see her at the moment of the shooting because I was looking at the soldiers," said Pollak, referring to Eygi. "I saw the soldiers shooting. I saw the flare, I saw them aiming,” he said. Both he and Mariam said there were two shots – one that struck a metal object, and another that hit Eygi in the head. “We were clearly visible to the army, there was nothing happening where were standing,” said Mariam. “We were internationals,” she said adding that Palestinian youth who had clashed with the soldiers were much further away, up the hill. “We were just standing there,” she said.
BBC
London, United Kingdom
6 September 2024
A 26-year-old American woman has been shot dead in the occupied West Bank during a protest on Friday, where Israeli forces opened fire. Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was also a Turkish citizen, is reported to have been taking part in a protest against Jewish settlement expansion in the town of Beita near Nablus. Ms Eygi was allegedly shot by Israeli troops, according to local media reports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was "looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area".
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken deplored the "tragic loss", adding: "When we have more info, we will share it, make it available and, as necessary, we'll act on it." Earlier, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who confirmed Ms Eygi's identity, said Washington is "urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death". Mr Miller also offered his "deepest condolences" to Ms Eygi's family and loved ones. His comments were echoed by US ambassador to Israel Jack Lew who said Washington has "no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens".
Ms Eygi was born in Antalya, as reported by Turkish media. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the death "barbaric", while the country's foreign ministry said Ms Eygi was "killed by Israeli occupation soldiers in the city of Nablus". The activist was rushed to a hospital in Nablus and was later pronounced dead. Dr Fouad Nafaa, head of Rafidia Hospital where Ms Eygi was admitted, confirmed that a US citizen in her mid-20s died from a "gunshot in the head".
In a statement, the IDF said: "Today (Friday), during Israeli security forces activity adjacent to the area of Beita, the forces responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them. "The IDF is looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review."
Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist who was at the same protest as Ms Eygi, said he heard "two separate shots of live ammunition, shot one after the other... and then I heard another shot".
"I found her lying on the ground, beside the tree, bleeding from her head," Mr Pollak told AFP news agency, as he showed blood on the hand he used to stop Ms Eygi's head from bleeding. "I took her pulse, she had a very weak pulse, we called the ambulance. "From there we evacuated her to the village's medical centre, where the doctor came into the ambulance and continued into the hospital, where they tried to resuscitate her but failed." Mr Pollak said the killing was "now receiving the light of day because she is an American citizen".
It comes as Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin city and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Friday, following a major nine-day operation there. The Palestinian health ministry says at least 36 Palestinians were killed - 21 from Jenin governorate - in that time. Most of the dead have been claimed by armed groups as members, but the ministry says children are also among those killed.
In the past 50 years, Israel has built settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where more than 700,000 Jews now live. Settlements are held to be illegal under international law - that is the position of the UN Security Council and the UK government, among others - although Israel rejects this.
The Guardian
London, United Kingdom
6 September 2024
American-Turkish woman shot dead at anti-settler protest in West Bank
Witnesses say Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was fired at by Israel Defense Forces soldiers positioned in a nearby field
An American-Turkish dual national has been shot dead – reportedly by Israeli troops – while participating in a protest against settler expansion in the occupied West Bank. Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old volunteer with the anti-occupation International Solidarity Movement, died in hospital on Friday after being shot in the head during a protest in Beita, near Nablus, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Witnesses said she was shot at by Israeli soldiers positioned in a nearby field after “minor clashes” broke out. Troops surrounded a group of people praying, and Palestinians began to throw stones, which the soldiers responded to with teargas and live ammunition. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they were looking into the report that troops had killed a foreign national while firing at an “instigator of violent activity”.
A paramedic, Fayez Abdul Jabbar, told Al-Quds News Network: “We usually have weekly confrontations at [the area]. During these confrontations [on Friday], the army fired two live bullets: one hit a foreigner, and the other hit another person, whose injury is less severe.” Eygi was treated on the way to hospital, he added. Fouad Nafaa, the head of the Rafidia hospital in Nablus, said doctors tried to resuscitate her, but she died on the operating table.
The US state department was urgently gathering more information about Eygi’s “tragic” death, the spokesperson Matthew Miller said, without immediately assigning responsibility for it. The White House said in a statement it was “deeply disturbed” by the killing and was seeking an Israeli investigation.
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose relations with Israel have reached a nadir since the 7 October Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, said on X: “I condemn Israel’s barbaric intervention against a civilian protest against the occupation in the West Bank, and I pray for God’s mercy on our citizen Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, who lost her life in the attack. “As Turkey, we will continue to strive on every platform to end Israel’s occupation and genocide policy … and to make it accountable before the law for its crimes against humanity.”
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, but Evyatar, partly built on Beita land seized in 2013, was not built with Israeli government permission and was therefore considered an “outpost”, which is illegal under Israeli law. Evyatar’s future has been wrangled over in the Israeli courts for years, sparking regular high-profile protests from both Palestinians and settlers.
In April last year, a march at Evyatar demanding the outpost be legalised was attended by at least 1,000 people, including far-right members of the government, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Simcha Rothman. It was among several outposts legalised by the Israeli cabinet last month.
At least 10 Palestinians, including two children, have been killed by Israeli troops in protests related to Evyatar since 2021, according to human rights groups. Another US national volunteering with the Palestinian residents was shot in the leg during a Friday protest last month. The Israeli military said the man was “accidentally injured”.
Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has soared since 7 October, forcing dozens of communities to abandon their homes. Palestinian officials and rights groups have long accused the IDF of standing by or even joining in settler attacks.
Several of Israel’s western allies, including the US, have recently imposed sanctions on individuals and organisations associated with the settler movement.
Violent confrontations with settlers and Israeli soldiers have killed at least 690 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Attacks by Palestinians on Israelis have also increased over the past 11 months, with 25 in August, according to the security services.
Elsewhere in the West Bank on Friday, Israeli forces appeared to have withdrawn from three areas – Jenin, Tulkarem and al-Faraa – after more than a week of fighting with Palestinian militant groups that has left dozens dead and caused widespread destruction. The main focus of the biggest Israeli operation in the West Bank since 7 October has been the refugee camp in the northern city of Jenin, where thousands of residents either fled or were trapped in their homes with no water or electricity. In Gaza, at least 12 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the territory on Friday, including a woman and two children, health officials said, as medical teams pushed ahead with a vital polio vaccination drive after the first reported case in Gaza for 25 years.
Internationally mediated talks aimed at brokering a ceasefire and hostage release in the now 11-month-old conflict have repeatedly stalled. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is under increasing pressure from allies to agree to a truce; he has insisted that Israeli troops cannot withdraw from the Gaza-Egypt border – a red line for Hamas – despite giving the measure the green light in a previous round of talks in July.