Israel’s Killing of American Activists Reveals Systemic Impunity

The killing of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist shot by Israeli forces during a peaceful protest in the West Bank on Sept. 6, highlights a troubling pattern of violence against American citizens.
Eygi’s death is part of a broader issue where U.S. citizens – particularly activists and journalists – face deadly encounters with Israeli military forces, often without justice or accountability. This analysis examines these incidents, revealing systemic failures in both Israeli military actions and U.S. governmental responses.
The Killing of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi
On Sept. 6, 2024, Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was fatally shot in the head by an Israeli sniper while attending a protest in Beita against the expansion of Israeli settlements. Eygi, a 26-year-old University of Washington graduate, had gone to the West Bank to support Palestinian families facing displacement.
Eyewitnesses reported that the protest was largely peaceful at the time of her shooting, contradicting Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claims of her being an instigator of violence. Following her death, Eygi’s family called for an independent U.S. investigation, which has not yet occurred despite growing public demands for one.
American Casualties at the Hands of Israeli Forces
Eygi’s killing fits into a larger pattern of violence against American citizens by Israeli forces. Over the last two decades, numerous Americans have been injured or killed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, often while participating in protests or covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. High-profile cases include:
– Rachel Corrie (2003): An American activist crushed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting home demolitions in Gaza. Despite eyewitness accounts and international outcry, Israeli authorities ruled her death an accident.
– Shireen Abu Akleh (2022): A Palestinian-American journalist shot while covering a raid by Israeli forces. Despite wearing a press vest and helmet, she was shot in the head. The U.S. investigation indicated that Israeli forces likely killed her, but Israel denied responsibility and ruled out a criminal investigation.
– Tawfic Abdel Jabbar and Mohammad Khdour (2023): Two Palestinian-American teenagers killed within a month of each other while driving near their villages in the West Bank. Both were shot with live ammunition by Israeli troops, and investigations into their deaths remain undisclosed despite initial U.S. calls for accountability.
These cases illustrate a disturbing trend where the Israeli military operates with little accountability, while U.S. governmental responses are typically muted.
The 2024 Killing of Kamel Ahmad Jawad in Lebanon
Detroit-based Kamel Ahmad Jawad was also killed this year by the Israeli entity, but this murder took place in Lebanon. Jawad, a U.S. resident from Dearborn, Michigan, was in Lebanon caring for his elderly mother when Israeli airstrikes targeted Nabatieh, a city in southern Lebanon.
Jawad chose to stay near the main hospital to help those unable to flee, including the elderly, disabled, and injured. He was killed on October 1, 2024, while shielding others from the airstrike.
His death has sparked outrage, with critics pointing out that U.S. weapons are once again being used by Israel to kill American citizens. The U.S. State Department expressed condolences, but many have highlighted the pattern of impunity that surrounds such incidents.
A History of Violence
In the past 20 years, at least 10 U.S. citizens have been killed by Israeli forces. These incidents often involve activists, journalists, or civilians caught in military operations, many of whom face violence while supporting Palestinian rights.
Daniel Santiago, an American activist, was shot by an Israeli soldier during a peaceful demonstration in Beita in 2024. “At first, I didn’t realize I had been shot… it was when I looked down and saw the raw mass of pulsing flesh that I understood a bullet had torn through my leg,” Santiago recalled.
Despite evidence that Israeli soldiers fired directly at him, the incident was dismissed as an “accident.” Santiago’s experience, and the lack of U.S. governmental response, mirrors that of other Americans, such as Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and Rachel Corrie.
“Had the Biden administration taken my shooting seriously, Ayşenur might still be with us today,” Santiago stated.
In another tragic case, Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist, was killed by an Israeli sniper despite wearing a press vest. Her family rejected Israel’s claim of an “unintentional” killing, calling for an independent investigation.
“We are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing was unintentional,” Abu Akleh’s family stated, emphasizing the lack of accountability.
In Corrie’s case, despite international outrage, Israeli authorities ruled her death an accident after she was crushed by a bulldozer while protecting Palestinian homes.
A Pattern of Silence
The killing of American citizens by Israeli forces has been met with repeated inaction from the U.S. government.
Responses from U.S. officials have been inadequate, often dismissed as accidents or tragic errors. For example, while President Biden called for “full accountability” after Eygi’s death, her family condemned the administration’s narrative, calling it “insensitive and false,” and accusing the U.S. of complicity in Israel’s actions.
Brad Parker of the Center for Constitutional Rights observed, “In every case where there’s an American killed or it’s a high-profile killing, Israeli authorities say, ‘Okay, we’ll investigate,’ and then that buys them time … weeks or months later, once the pressure and heat is off, they basically just whitewash the whole thing and nobody’s held accountable.”
Despite calls for stronger action, such as invoking the Leahy Law to withhold U.S. arms from military units involved in these killings, the U.S. continues to shy away from imposing consequences on Israel, a regime that continues to enjoy systemic impunity when it comes to violating international law.
The Role of U.S. Military Aid
U.S. military aid to Israel, which amounts to approximately $3.8 billion annually, plays a critical role in perpetuating this cycle of violence and impunity. Despite evidence of human rights abuses, including the unlawful killing of civilians, the U.S. continues to supply Israel with advanced weaponry.
In 2024, just days before Eygi was killed, the U.S. State Department cleared military aid for Netzah Yehuda, an Israeli battalion accused of gross human rights violations against Palestinians.
Critics, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have called for an arms embargo until Israel complies with international law, but these appeals have largely been ignored.
A Call for Accountability
Santiago, Eygi, and others illustrate the consequences of unchecked violence against U.S. citizens. “The U.S. enables such needless violence with its blank-check support for Israel… on the same day I was shot, the State Department cleared military aid for an Israeli battalion accused of gross human rights violations,” Santiago said.
These testimonies underline how U.S. inaction perpetuates the cycle of violence, leaving American citizens at the mercy of Israeli forces while diplomatic ties shield Israel from accountability.
References
- Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi killed by IDF in West Bank – The Jerusalem Post
- Funeral Held for Turkish American Activist Killed by Israeli Forces in West Bank | Democracy Now!
- An American activist was shot dead in the West Bank – The Forward
- Shireen Abu Akleh’s Case and US Response | NPR
- Tawfic Abdel Jabbar and Mohammad Khdour killed by IDF | Washington Post
- Dearborn Resident Killed in Israeli Airstrike – Detroit News
- U.S. Expresses Condolences Over Lebanon Death – Reuters
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