[Salon] P.S. -- Jill Stein: "Israel murdered an American today"

FM: John Whitbeck

    Since sending the message retransmitted below earlier today, I have seen the reporting on Aysenur Eygi's assassination published by HAARETZ and the NEW YORK TIMES.

    The HAARETZ article (https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-09-06/ty-article/.premium/palestinian-reports-american-turkish-activist-shot-dead-by-israeli-soldiers-in-west-            bank/00000191-c7f1-df27-a9b9-fffb3dab0000) is staightforwardly headlined "American-Turkish Activist Shot Dead by Israeli Army Troops in West Bank" and reads in part: "Haaretz         journalist Jonathan Pollack, who was present at the scene, said that the activist was shot by soldiers ... at a time when things were calm and no clashes were occurring.... 'We were         standing in the street, it was was calm; nothing was happening. Soldiers climbed onto the roof of a house, and I saw a soldier aiming, and then I heard gunfire,' he recounted."

    The assassination was mentioned in two NEW YORK TIMES articles, one of which stated: "It was not immediately clear who was responsible."

    The other article was headlined "American Woman Shot and Killed at West Bank Protest" and referred to Mr. Pollack, the HAARETZ journalist who made immediately clear who was     responsible, as "a hard-left Israeli activist," a derogatory label presumably deemed applicable to -- and intended to discredit -- anyone with the courage to actively protest against         perpetual occupation, apartheid and genocide.

    Anyone seeking relatively honest and accurate reporting on Palestine/Israel should purchase an online subscription to HAARETZ.

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    TO: Distinguished Recipients
    FM: John Whitbeck

    In the message transmitted below, presidential candidate Jill Stein reacts to the latest Israeli assassination of an American citizen and to the reaction of the mainstream American             media to this assassination.

    Some sample headlines from the mainstream American media:

    ABC NEWS: "American activist fatally shot in the West Bank: Officials"

    CBS NEWS: "American woman Aysenur Eygi killed at pro-Palestinian protest in Israeli-occupied West Bank"

    NBC NEWS: "White House requests investigation of American woman's killing in West Bank"

    POLITICO: "American activist shot dead in occupied West Bank"

    WASHINGTON POST: "U.S. woman fatally shot at West Bank protest"

    Of course, there is no reason to believe that the Israeli sniper practicing his headshot knew that the young woman he had chosen to murder was an American citizen, and, if she had     not been, her assassination would not have been deemed newsworthy at all.

John,

She was 26 years old. She recently graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle.

She was like millions of our daughters and nieces and sisters – her whole life ahead of her. But now Aysenur Eygi is dead – murdered by Israel today in the West Bank.

A photo provided by the family of Aysenur
Eygi, showing her in a black graduation cap and gown with a
Palestinian keffiyeh draped over her shoulders, smiling warmly for the
cameras.

I am sickened. I am heartbroken. I am disgusted and outraged. And you should be, too.

Today the Israeli Occupation Forces brutally murdered Aysenur – an American citizen and a peace activist protesting settlements in the West Bank.

Israeli forces shot her in the head. Deliberately. Just as they did Shireen Abu Akleh two years ago.

Mainstream media is already working overtime to whitewash this crime.

They’ve described Aysenur as a “Turkish-American” or “American-Turkish” in an obvious attempt to downplay her identity as a full American citizen (not that her citizenship should matter ... but to our policymakers and the public, it does).

They’ve called it “a shooting” stating that “an activist was killed” without describing how she died – or by whose hand.

This is important. Do not look away. This is what witnesses had to say:

An animated GIF of a video clip of an activist
who accompanied Aysenur Eygi to the hospital, sobbing and saying “For
what? They’re standing up for people. Standing up for peace. They
killed her. They shot her in the head.”

Just after graduation this year, Aysenur joined a group of activists with the International Solidarity Movement, going directly to the heart of danger to hold the line as a peace activist against illegal Israeli “settlements” in the West Bank.

That’s where she was today when, unprovoked, IDF soldiers murdered her in cold blood with a killshot directly to the head.

Biden administration officials like Anthony Blinken can wring their hands and cluck their tongues and “condemn” the horrific violence playing out every single day against Palestinians and peace activists in every part of Palestine (NOT just Gaza).

But those protestations ring hollow when the same people shaking their heads with regret and dismay are rubber-stamping the latest billion-dollar-arms shipment to the murderers pointing the gun.

Aysenur Eygi was a brilliant young woman who dedicated her life to the service of others. As a fresh graduate she could have been chasing the career of her dreams. But she chose to hold the line for Palestine.

In February of this year, following the death of three American soldiers in Jordan at the suspected hands of Iranian-backed proxy rebels, Joe Biden forcefully declared: “If you harm an American, we will respond."

Well Joe. They murdered an American today. Will you finally stop arming the murderers?

The truth is Biden won’t seek justice for Aysenur because he knows that ultimately, he is responsible. By arming this fascist, murderous, apartheid regime and giving them unrestricted political cover, he may as well have loaded the gun.

Aysenur will not rest until we end our support for this violent regime.

As your president, I will terminate all arms transfers and military aid to Israel on DAY ONE of my administration. I will impose an arms embargo until the Israeli government joins the peace process as a legitimate partner and an honest broker. And I will support international arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his cabinet of thugs.

Biden called Israel’s planned assault on Rafah a “red line.” Israel ignored the United States, ignored the international community, and invaded Rafah with a devastating military assault. And nothing happened.

Now they’ve murdered an American citizen – and still nothing is happening.

It ends with us.

In solidarity,

Jill

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