Israel’s brutal war on the Palestinians hasn’t only claimed the lives of those who are native to the land of Palestine. People from all over the world have travelled there to risk their lives in solidarity with those who have no choice but to suffer Israel’s attacks.
On September 6, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American citizen, was shot dead by Israeli troops in Beita village near the Palestinian city of Nablus. The protest, like many held on Fridays across the West Bank, was held to protest the seizure of land by Israeli settlers – an act of theft which is condoned and defended by the Israeli state. With the right-wing government in power today, the seizure of land by settlers is openly encouraged, and the West Bank has seen a wave of attacks and violence. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they are looking into the incident, which is a joke. Anyone who has any knowledge of these demonstrations knows that Israeli troops have full control over the situation, and they are trained to shoot and kill. If someone dies, that was the IDF’s intent. Clearly, Aysenur was targeted in order to send a shockwave through the international volunteer community which has come to the West Bank to bear witness and report on Israel’s atrocities for decades.
We must honor Aysenur’s sacrifice, and as her friends and family have said, she would have us remember that there are thousands of Palestinians, over 40,000 killed so far, who don’t have the luxury of an American passport to protect them. Her life was worth no more than theirs and every life is precious. Remember Aysenur and do everything you can to end Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people. It is sure that she would have wanted that above all else.
