Ambassador Zomlot made a statement to the AA correspondent regarding the murder of Eygi, a Turkish-American citizen, by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on September 6. Zomlot pointed out that occupying Israel has been killing not only Palestinians but also citizens of different nations with a sense of “impunity” for 76 years. He stated that this group also includes citizens of the USA, England and Türkiye.
Zomlot said, “The USA has never held accountable those who killed its own citizens, let alone the Palestinian people. Therefore, this situation is a 26-year-old peace activist (Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi) who is there to protect Palestinians from settler violence and terrorism, which has the full support of its army, and fights for justice.” “This is an indication that Israel is free to kill whoever it wants to kill.” he said
Expressing his condolences to the family of Turkish activist Eygi, Ambassador Zomlot said, “We call on the United States and the international community to take action to ensure justice for these victims and hold the criminals accountable, because Israel will never do this.” he added. Zomlot pointed out that Israel has never been held accountable for the crimes it has committed for more than 70 years and said, “Israel will never investigate itself. It will not come to a conclusion that they have committed war crimes. That is why international accountability “must be ensured.” he said
The Quest for Justice and Past Events
Ambassador Zomlot reminds that Israeli soldiers had targeted many international activists before. In particular, he emphasized that American activist Rachel Corrie was killed on March 16, 2003, British photojournalist Tom Hurndall was killed on January 13, 2004, and Al Jazeera’s experienced reporter Shirin Abu Akile, a US citizen of Palestinian origin, was killed on May 11, 2022. Zomlot said, “Israel has not been held accountable for any international activists it has killed so far.” he said
“So far, we have not seen anyone held accountable. Justice is not being served because Israel covers up its crimes. Therefore, there can only be an independent international investigation like the International Criminal Court (ICC). Only international accountability can be hope, ” Zomlot said. he said
Life and Death of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi
Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi took an active role in solidarity movements supporting the rights of Palestinians. On September 6, during a peaceful demonstration against the expansion of Israeli-seized Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers opened fire on participants. Eygi was shot in the head and seriously injured and was taken to a Palestinian hospital. Despite all the interventions, he could not be saved.
Eygi, who double majored in psychology and Middle Eastern languages at the University of Washington, was a volunteer human rights activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), who supported the occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel with peaceful and civil methods. Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003, was also a member of the same movement. Eygi’s death sparked outrage and demands for accountability from the local and international community.
Born in Antalya in 1998, Eygi moved to Seattle, USA, with his family when he was less than a year old.
