US President Joe Biden has exonerated the Israeli army of the murder of Turkish-American activist, Aisha Nour Izi Ece, who was assassinated by an Israeli sniper last Friday in the town of Beita, without any provocation.

President Biden told reporters later Tuesday that he supported the Israeli claim in the matter: “It appears to have been an accident — the bullet ricocheted off the ground, and it struck the activist by accident,” adding, “I’m working on that now,” without explaining what he meant.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it was "highly likely" that one of its soldiers had shot an American activist in the occupied West Bank, but claimed it was "indirect and unintentional" despite it being a bullet to the head, a claim supported by President Biden.

Aisha Nour Izi Iji, 26, was killed on September 6 while protesting illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank village of Beita. Her family responded to the Israeli military’s statement, calling it “completely inappropriate.”

The family said in a statement that they were "deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional. The disregard for human life in this investigation is appalling."

The Ige family statement added that the shooting "cannot be explained as anything other than a deliberate, targeted and precise attack by the military against an unarmed civilian."

The Israeli military claimed that the bullet that killed Eiji was not aimed at her but at the “main instigator” of the riots. However, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which organized the protest, said it was peaceful, and witnesses said the protesters posed no threat to Israeli forces.

The Igi family has reiterated its call for President Biden, Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to order an independent investigation into the killing rather than allowing Israel to investigate itself. The State Department said Monday it was not conducting its own investigation into the incident.

At a press conference in London on Tuesday, Secretary of State Blinken said that “no one should be shot and killed for attending a protest.” He added that Israeli security forces “need to make some fundamental changes to the way they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement.”

The comments were Blinken’s harshest criticism of the Israeli military’s conduct, but there is no indication that the Biden administration is considering changing its policy of arming Israel. U.S. military aid to Israel is key to sustaining the genocidal campaign in Gaza and underpinning escalation in the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.