JERUSALEM − On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged for significant changes in the Israeli military’s actions in the occupied West Bank, condemning the recent deadly shooting of an American protester opposing settlement expansion, which Israeli authorities termed accidental.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Turkey, was fatally shot during a protest in Beita, close to Nablus, where Palestinians have continuously faced violence from far-right Jewish settlers.

Israel’s military announced on Tuesday that an initial investigation suggested that its forces likely fired the shot that killed her; however, they insisted it was unintentional and expressed deep regret over the incident.

In his firmest comments yet regarding the actions of Israel’s security forces, Blinken labeled Eygi’s death as “unprovoked and unjustifiable.” He stressed that the U.S. government would demand that Israel implement operational changes for its troops in the West Bank.

“No one should be shot for taking part in a protest. No one should risk their life simply to express their opinions freely,” he asserted to reporters in London.

“We believe that Israeli security forces need to fundamentally reassess how they operate in the West Bank, particularly their rules of engagement,” Blinken noted. “This marks the second American citizen who has lost their life at the hands of Israeli security forces. It is unacceptable.”

An Israeli government spokesperson chose not to respond to Blinken’s statements.

The Israeli military confirmed that its Military Police Criminal Investigation Division is conducting an investigation, the results of which will be reviewed at a higher level once finished.

“We will be monitoring this situation very closely,” stated John Kirby, a White House national security spokesperson, emphasizing that a criminal investigation is a rare measure for the Israeli military.

“We are interested in the outcomes of the criminal investigation and will determine if and how anyone might be held accountable,” Kirby added.

Eygi’s family described the initial inquiry as “completely inadequate” and called on President Joe Biden to push for an independent investigation.

Initial Investigation Regarding American’s Death

The Israeli military announced that its commanders had performed a preliminary investigation and determined that the gunfire was not targeted at Eygi but rather at another individual who they labeled “the main instigator of the riot.”

“This incident occurred during a violent riot where numerous Palestinian individuals set tires on fire and threw rocks at security forces near the Beita Junction,” they stated.

Israel has requested that Palestinian authorities conduct an autopsy, as mentioned in their statement.

Eygi’s family voiced strong disapproval of the implication that the shooting by a trained sniper could have been accidental.

The escalating violence from settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has prompted frustrations among Israel’s Western allies, including the U.S., which has enacted sanctions against certain Israelis involved in the radical settler movement. These tensions have intensified amid Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza.

Since 2020, Palestinians have regularly protested in Beita against the expansion of the nearby Evyatar settler outpost. Ultra-nationalist elements within Israel’s ruling government have worked to legitimize previously unauthorized outposts like Evyatar, an action that Washington warns could destabilize the West Bank and undermine peace efforts towards a two-state solution.

Since the 1967 conflict in the Middle East, Israel has maintained control over the West Bank, land that Palestinians seek as the foundation of a future independent state.

Israel has established a growing number of settlements there, which most nations consider illegal; however, Israel disputes this characterization, referencing historical and biblical claims to the area.