Family of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, UW grad killed in West Bank, meet with Blinken

The family of Seattleite and University of Washington graduate Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, met with the Secretary of State and other officials in D.C. this week to demand a U.S. investigation into her killing.

Eygi, 26, was shot in the head in September while she was in the West Bank to protest against Israeli settlements with the International Solidarity Movement. Witnesses said Eygi was killed after a peaceful demonstration against a settler outpost by the West Bank town of Beita devolved into a clash between stone-throwing protesters and Israeli troops firing live ammunition.

Eygi’s husband and sister expressed frustration in an interview Thursday about their meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Eygi’s widower, Hamid Ali, said that even their “low expectations were not met.”

“After a disappointing meeting with Blinken where he essentially said he wouldn’t be doing anything, we’ve targeted (senators and Congress people) to put pressure on Blinken,” said Ozden Bennett, Eygi’s sister.

Shortly after Eygi’s death, Blinken and other officials called for an Israeli investigation into her killing. The Israel Defense Forces said Eygi was killed “unintentionally” during a “violent riot.” A Washington Post investigation found Eygi was shot more than 200 yards away from Israeli forces and 30 minutes after demonstrators had retreated.

Ali and Bennett said they went into the meeting hoping for more evidence, documentation, eye witness accounts — anything. Instead, Ali said they were met with “shoulder shrugging and indifference” about the investigation.

Bennett said that when they asked specifically for an independent investigation conducted by the U.S., Blinken referred them to the Department of Justice.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told CNN the Israeli government communicated to Blinken they are finalizing their investigation and said Blinken offered “his deepest condolences” to the family.

“The Israeli military doesn’t do investigations,” Bennett said. “They do cover-ups.”

In the spring, Eygi had been part of the UW encampment protesting Israel’s ongoing destruction of Gaza. She was born in Turkey, moved to Seattle as an infant and was a Turkish American dual national.

Friends and loved ones remember her as a brilliant, principled woman who enjoyed cooking and making art. She studied psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures at UW. Eygi wanted to enter a doctorate program this year. She loved her cat and was a proud aunt.

During their trip to D.C., Eygi’s family also held a vigil for her outside the White House. Bennett, Ali and Eygi’s father, Mehmet Eygi, joined several Washington lawmakers at Lafayette Square on Wednesday calling for an independent investigation.

“It has been 100 days since Ayşenur was murdered, and there has been absolutely zero accountability, and that is completely unacceptable,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who represents the district Eygi lived in. ” … This is not a single incident. It is a pattern.”

Rachel Corrie, from Olympia, was also an activist with the International Solidarity Movement when she was killed in Gaza in 2003. Corrie was crushed to death as she tried to block an Israeli military bulldozer from demolishing a Palestinian home in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, near the Egyptian border.

Eygi’s loved ones have connected with Corrie’s family members, and said they have learned what to expect from their experience.

“This isn’t a short-term advocacy effort, but something that will take many years but with likely little to show for it,” Bennett said. “The Corries are still doing this work, to this day, 20 years later.”

Ali said he hopes President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will be responsive to pressure, adding that any administration should “seek justice for the killing of one of its citizens by a foreign power.” But Bennett and Ali hope they don’t have to keep trying to convince state officials to do so.

“Having to spend time doing this kind of advocacy is kind of robbing the time I have to spend in proximity to the memory of Ayşenur,” Ali said. “Every day, it gets a little bit harder to remember her.”