The killing of an American in the West Bank could strain US-Israeli relations

Is the growing outcry from the Biden administration over the IDF killing of American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi a prelude to changes in US foreign policy in the region?

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 9: Crowds are gathered at Lake Merritt to commemorate Aysenur Ezgi Eygi and to protest Israel, in Oakland, California, United States on September 9, 2024 after 26 years old Turkish-American woman Aysenur Ezgi who was killed by Israeli soldiers in Nablus, as she was standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people
Can the death of an American activist change the way the Biden administration works with Israel?
(Image credit: Photo by Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu via Getty Images)

While much of the world's attention has been focused on Israel's bombardment of the Gaza strip, the recent killing of American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi during protests against Israeli settlements in the West Bank may prove to be a turning point in U.S.-Israel relations. The IDF has admitted it is "highly likely" their troops killed Eygi, but Israeli officials insisted in a brief press release that she had been "hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire, which was not aimed at her." Eygi's family quickly rejected the IDF's initial findings, saying they are "deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional."

As details about Eygi's death continue to be uncovered, the United States government finds its commitment to protect its own citizens butting heads with its steadfast support for a longtime ally — even as growing domestic opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza intensify scrutiny over that diplomatic relationship at large.

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.