Today friends and family held the funeral of a Turkish American activist who was killed during protests in the West Bank. I or She was shot during a weekly protest against Israeli settlement near the Palestinian village of Beta. And she was twenty-six years old. Israel says her killing was a tragic accident. -But there are growing calls for an independent investigation, including from lawmakers in Washington state, where she recently graduated from college. Reps. Patty Murray and Paul, members of the Congressional Privileges Committee, wrote in their letter that we fear that if this pattern of impunity does not end with Ms. Agee. It will only continue to grow. It is worsening. It is imperative that the United States take concrete and decisive action to better protect American citizens. Join us with them. Juliet Majid was a close friend of Ice and or. They spoke just before she traveled to the West Bank. Juliet thank you for being with me and our condolences for the loss of your friend. I know you are also the designated spokesperson for the family. When we read something for you that the White House has released a statement on behalf of the president this week, the US government has got full access to the initial Israeli investigation. Hopefully that will continue.
That means the investigation will continue. So that we can trust the results, that’s what the families trust in this investigation. So the family has actually put out statements that I’m on social media, so I don’t necessarily speak for them exactly, but I know I think I don’t have confidence in Israel conducting its own military investigation. What we want is a US-led independent investigation. Asian or that’s what the family has been asking for for over a week now. It’s been over a week, it’s been over seven days and we haven’t gotten this independent investigation. I think it’s shameful that President Biden released this statement and called it an accident without an investigation and so you’ll have more confidence in a US-led investigation, that’s the independent investigation that you want to see the FBI. I want to see an investigation that is independent of the investigation conducted by Israel it’s own military.
Do you trust the US to do that. I hope I can get the US to do that, I should have been an American citizen. You are very staunch as human rights activists here in the United States and in the Seattle area. I really hope I can be able to conduct this investigation. Because that is what she deserves and her family should get justice and the President says. That the initial investigation indicates that this was the result of a tragic error resulting in unnecessary escalation. I snort, I was struck by the fire of thought indirectly and inadvertently, how much information has been shared with the family, do you know. The only information I know is what is available to anyone else for public statements at this time.
The mother obviously seems very heartbroken and heartbroken to know that she was killed on the west coast while upholding a long-standing tradition of having a piece for the independent international observer. It is also incredibly difficult to think that she is no longer in our lives. He was taken by the Israeli army. As I said, he was killed in the West Bank. Not in Gaza, but in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah reported that about seven hundred people have been killed in the West Bank. Let me get your reaction to what we heard from Secretary of State Anthony Blinken about what’s happening in the West Bank. No one should be shot and killed for participating in a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just for expressing their views freely. And now we have a second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces. This is not acceptable. This has to change and we will make that clear to the most senior members of the Israeli government. What is your reaction to what you heard.