WASHINGTON
A documentary on the life and legacy of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed last year during a protest in the occupied West Bank by an Israeli soldier, was screened Wednesday evening in Washington, DC.
“Under an Olive Tree” was produced by TRT World with executive producer Zumrut Sonmez. The screening at Busboys and Poets was followed by a panel discussion featuring Eygi’s sister Ozden Bennett, her husband Hamid Ali, the documentary team, and Palestinian activists along with families of Americans killed by Israeli forces and settlers.
Eygi, a 26-year-old Turkish-American activist from Washington state, was fatally shot in the head by an Israeli soldier on Sept. 6, 2024 while attending a protest against illegal Israeli settlers in the town of Beita in the occupied West Bank. Her killing has fueled calls for accountability and a US-led investigation, but Washington has so far deferred to Israel to probe the killing.
Bennett told Anadolu that the documentary provides a faithful portrait of Eygi’s life and principles.
“The documentary essentially shares the story of who Aysenur was and how she came to be the person that she was, and essentially what ultimately led to her death,” she said. “If someone watched the documentary for the first time who didn't know Aysenur's story, I think it would be a really fair representation.”
Bennett, who joined a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday alongside US lawmakers and other families of Americans killed by Israeli forces or settlers, said meetings with Congress members have brought little progress.
“Even though they're all very supportive, it feels like there's limitations on what they can push and do,” she said. “They’ve written letters to the State Department and the Department of Justice…There have been no replies to their inquiries or requests for an open investigation.”
Reflecting on the past year, she said the family has had to navigate grief while fighting for justice.
“Unfortunately, there have been so many other American citizens who have been killed by the Israeli military since my sister's death in the West Bank, and it doesn't have to be that way,” she added.
‘She was deeply committed to justice’
Her husband, Hamid Ali, also reflected on Eygi’s spirit and sense of justice.
He shared a personal memory of Eygi laughing on a mountain ledge during a family trip, teasing his mother, who was worried for her safety.
“That’s how I knew her best,” Ali told the panel. “She was this silly, joyful, non-serious individual who also carried an immense, true dedication to being just in all forms of what that meant…to be just for herself, she had to stand for justice for others.”
Documentary as testimony
Gulay Kaplan, the interview producer of the documentary, said the film aims to preserve Eygi’s story in history.
“We wanted to tell Aysenur’s story and wanted to record it accurately for history,” Kaplan told Anadolu. “By sharing her story, we wanted to show that Aysenur was not the first, and unfortunately, she will not be the last. For us, bearing witness to her pursuit of justice — and through her, for all Palestinians and all people who sacrificed their lives — was very important.”
Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil joins panel
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate who was detained in March by US immigration authorities for his pro-Palestinian campus activism, also spoke at the panel. He was held in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana for months before being released on bail in June.
“This government, and all previous governments, were complicit, not only in perpetrating these crimes, but also in the cover of these crimes,” he said. “This is what the student movement is trying to change…I just hope that their sacrifices would not be in vain.”
During the event, Bennett also brought to the stage Craig and Cindy Corrie, the parents of Rachel Corrie, who was killed in 2003 while trying to stop an Israeli bulldozer from demolishing Palestinian homes in Gaza.
She also invited relatives of Palestinian-American victims, including Hafez Ajaq, the father of Tawfiq Ajaq, who was killed by Israeli soldiers in January 2024 in the West Bank; Kamel Musallet, the father of Sayfullah 'Saif' Musallet, who was killed by Israeli settlers in July; and Zeyad Kadur, the uncle of Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American currently detained in Israel.
The panel was moderated by Brad Parker, associate director of policy at the Center for Constitutional Rights and a member of the legal team supporting the Eygi family’s quest for justice.
