Probe ordered into killing of Turkish-American in West Bank

Ankara, Sep 12 (IANS) Turkey has launched an investigation into the killing of a Turkish-American woman by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on Thursday.

Turkey would not stay silent in the face of an "unlawful terrorist attack by Israeli forces," Tunc told reporters, adding that the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated a probe under domestic law.

He added that Turkey "will work to prepare a report by forming an independent investigation commission."

"Afterwards, we will continue our work on including this report in the UN Human Rights Council, the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and the ongoing investigation at the International Criminal Court," he said.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the body of the Turkish-American woman, who "was deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli soldiers during a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank," will be brought from Israel to Turkey on Friday for burial, reports Xinhua, quoting the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Turkish-American Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was shot during a protest against an Israeli settlement near the Palestinian town of Beita and died of her wounds last week.

The incident took place during a regular protest march in Beita, a town near Nablus that has frequently been targeted by Jewish settlers, according to Palestinian media.

In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its forces "responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them."

The IDF added it was investigating reports of a foreign national's death.