Families Of Americans Killed In Israel Slam Continued US Inaction: 'What Will It Take?'

Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi's sister Ozden Bennett speaks during the press conference as families of Americans killed by Israeli forces and settlers gather outside the US CapitolFamilies of several Americans who have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers gathered in front of the Capitol on Tuesday to demand the US government hold itself and Israel accountable over the lack of justice for their slain loved ones.The press conference, led by Representative Pramila Japayal (Democrat, Washington), comes days after the one-year anniversary of an Israeli soldier fatally shooting Seattle-based activist Ayşenur Eygi while she was peacefully observing a protest in the West Bank.“There were no calls for justice for her, no commitment to investigate her unlawful killing by Israel. This government has remained steadfast in their silence to our demands for an investigation ever since,” 26-year-old Eygi’s sister Ozden Bennett said.“What will it take for the Department of Justice to live up to its name? Why are some American lives worth fighting for, while others are not?” she continued. “Why is it that the US government is swift to act as long as the perpetrator isn’t Israel?”The State Department, which has handled the cases of Americans killed in Israel, did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. In the past, the agency has referred questions about such cases to Israel, whose rare investigations into itself more rarely lead to accountability.Since 2022, at least 10 Americans have been killed by Israeli violence in the West Bank and Gaza. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have declined to act on calls by victims’ families to both hold Israel accountable and to conduct an independent, credible and thorough investigation into the incident.“I don’t want to hear any more condolences from leaders. I don’t want to read another story or meet another family who mirrors our own loss,” Bennett said. “We’ve heard enough condolences. We’ve lost enough lives. We’ve demanded justice long enough, and we’ve received nothing.”Also speaking Tuesday were loved ones of 20-year-old Floridian Sayfollah Musallet, 17-year-old Louisianan Tawfiq Abdel Jabbar, 23-year-old Washingtonian Rachel Corrieand 16-year-old Floridian Mohammed Ibrahim. Mohammed has been imprisoned by the Israeli military since February without trial, and his loved ones say he has lost significant weight while dealing with scabies.“All these things that we was taught as kids — about liberty, about humanity — it does not apply to the Israeli government only,” said Tawfiq’s father Hafez Ajaq, a U.S. citizen who arrived in the country as a teenager. “They have the right and they have the OK from our government to do such things and such acts without being punished, without being punished at all.”Amir, 22, cries and holds Mona, 36, mother of 17-year-old Tawfiq Abdel Jabbar, a teenager from Louisiana who was fatally shot by Israeli forces last week, while they pose with a framed photo of him at the family's West Bank village of Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya, on Jan. 23, 2024.The families stressed that while Israeli violence against Americans has increased after invading Gaza in 2023, such incidents have occurred for years. Cindy Corrie spoke of her daughter, who was trying to prevent Israel from destroying a Palestinian family’s home in Rafah 20 years ago when soldiers ran her over with their bulldozer. Since then, her parents have fought for justice – not just in Rachel’s case, but for all Americans who have been killed by Israel without any accountability.“Rachel’s dad, who is here, often points out that the US government sends two very different messages to Israel,” Cindy Corrie said. “One is the diplomatic request for investigations. The other is the billions of dollars in continuing military aid. Which message do you think the Israeli government hears?“We believe if there had been real consequences in Israel for Rachel’s killing and for any of the killings of US citizens that followed, perhaps the other families standing with us today would not have had to make this trip to tell the stories of their loved ones killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers,” she said.Related...Trump Has Admitted He's 'Very Unhappy' With Israel's Strikes On Doha. Here's Why That MattersNetanyahu Orders Gaza City Residents To Relocate Amid Israeli Strikes – But There's Nowhere Left To GoFamine In Gaza Is Underway Amid Israel's US-Backed Siege, Experts Confirm

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