ISTANBUL
The family of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, has called out US Senator Maria Cantwell for opposing two congressional resolutions that would have blocked weapons sales to Israel.
Eygi, a constituent in Cantwell’s home state of Washington, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier on Sept. 6, 2024, while participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration. In an Instagram post on Sunday, the family said they had sent a letter to Cantwell expressing frustration with her stance.
“We asked her to explain how she reconciled this support with the pursuit of justice for Aysenur, who was her constituent,” the family wrote.
Letter highlights moral disconnect
The letter condemned Cantwell’s votes against Senate Joint Resolutions 34 and 41, both introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders to halt planned weapons transfers to Israel, including tens of thousands of automatic assault rifles.
While Senator Patty Murray — also representing Washington — supported the resolutions, the family said Cantwell’s opposition reflected a broader disconnect between her rhetoric on human rights and her legislative decisions. “A meaningful step, aligning with Washingtonians' call for accountability,” they said of Murray’s vote.
“How do you reconcile your support for the US-funded continuation of Israel's internationally recognized war crimes alongside your duty to seek justice for Aysenur?” the family asked Cantwell directly in the letter.
They argued that Cantwell’s votes created an “irreconcilable” contradiction, backing the very policies that, in their view, allowed for Eygi’s killing while blocking efforts to hold Israel accountable.
Eygi was participating in a nonviolent demonstration in the occupied West Bank when she was killed. Her death came amid soaring Israeli violence across Palestinian territories.
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 1,012 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 wounded in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In July, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the dismantling of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Despite global appeals for a ceasefire, Israel’s offensive on Gaza has continued, killing more than 60,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children.