Main opposition leader slams US for turning blind eye to killing of Turkish-American activist
CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel speaks at his party's statute convention, Ankara, September 7, 2024. (AA Photo)
Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel criticized the U.S. on Thursday for failing to stand up for Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, the Turkish-American activist killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.
Speaking to journalists at the Turkish House (Turkevi) in New York, where Türkiye’s Consulate General and Permanent Mission to the U.N. are located, Ozel said: “The U.S. derives its strength from protecting its citizens wherever they are in the world. However, the U.S. could not stand up for its citizen Aysenur because Israel is its soft underbelly.”
Eygi, 26, a dual Turkish U.S. national, was killed by Israeli forces on Sept. 6 during a peaceful protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
The CHP leader, in New York for the Socialist International Presidium meeting, said he largely focused on the Palestinian issue during his three-day program.
Ozel said he also met Ersin Tatar, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), who is in New York for the U.N. week, reaffirming his party’s commitment to the Cyprus issue.
He praised the Turkish House building as “a source of pride for all,” expressing the party’s desire to hold programs at the facility.
