Ramallah, September 10 (RHC)-- In the occupied West Bank, mourners held a funeral procession Monday for Turkish American activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, who was fatally shot in the head by Israeli forces Friday while she joined a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita. 

Witnesses say she was killed by an Israeli sniper after the demonstration had already dispersed.  

Lulu, another U.S. activist in the West Bank, told reporters: “We’re all very saddened by this.  My heart and my thoughts are with her family.  And we, as volunteers here, we feel her loss, but we are not scared off by the Israelis.  We are not scared off by this attack.  We will continue to stay here in solidarity with the Palestinians for as long as we live, no matter what happens.”

Ayşenur’s family is calling on the Joe Biden administration to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a U.S. citizen and to ensure full accountability.  

On Monday, the State Department appeared to rule out a U.S.-led probe, saying it would wait for the results of an Israeli investigation.  

State Department spokesman Vedant Patel: “I think most important is to let this process play out, for the facts to be gathered and for those to come to light.  And I will just leave it at that.”

In her hometown of Seattle and across the United States there are growing calls for justice, as pressure is mounting for a U.S. investigation -- not an Israeli coverup.

West Bank, Israel, Palestine, Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi