Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi's sister Ozden Bennett speaks during the press conference as families of Americans killed by Israeli forces and settlers gather outside the US Capitol

Families of several Americans who have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers gathered in front of the Capitol on Tuesday to demand the US government hold itself and Israel accountable over the lack of justice for their slain loved ones.

The press conference, led by Representative Pramila Japayal (Democrat, Washington), comes days after the one-year anniversary of an Israeli soldier fatally shooting Seattle-based activist Ayşenur Eygi while she was peacefully observing a protest in the West Bank.

“There were no calls for justice for her, no commitment to investigate her unlawful killing by Israel. This government has remained steadfast in their silence to our demands for an investigation ever since,” 26-year-old Eygi’s sister Ozden Bennett said.

“What will it take for the Department of Justice to live up to its name? Why are some American lives worth fighting for, while others are not?” she continued. “Why is it that the US government is swift to act as long as the perpetrator isn’t Israel?”

The State Department, which has handled the cases of Americans killed in Israel, did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. In the past, the agency has referred questions about such cases to Israel, whose........

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