US Muslim group criticizes Biden and Harris for failing to contact family of Turkish American activist

WASHINGTON

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Tuesday criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris for their "disturbing and disappointing" failure to call the family of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American citizen killed by Israel in occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the US Muslim group said Biden has not talked with the family of Eygi, an activist, and that Harris has also not spoken to the family as of yet.

Eygi, 26, was fatally shot by Israeli forces last Friday during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in Beita, a town just outside of Nablus.

"President Biden and Vice President Harris’ failure to call the family of an American citizen murdered by an Israeli sniper is deeply disturbing and disappointing, especially given that both of them quickly contacted the family of an Israeli-American killed by Hamas," CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in the statement.

"It is long past time for the Biden administration to start treating all American families as equally worthy of respect and all human beings, including the people of Gaza and the West Bank, as equally worthy of life," he added.

The group said it called on US Justice Department "to investigate and prosecute the Israeli officials, soldiers and illegal settlers responsible for committing violent crimes against Palestinian-Americans, including the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and Turkish-American peace activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi".

The Israeli army said it is “highly likely” that Eygi was “indirectly and unintentionally” hit by fire from its forces in the occupied West Bank.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel’s killing of Eygi is "unprovoked and unjustified" and "unacceptable."