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ERUSALEM — Washington has asked Israel to investigate an incident where a US student lost an eye after she was hit by an Israeli tear-gas canister during a West Bank protest, the US embassy said on Monday.

Emily Henochowicz, 21, was apparently hit in the face by a tear-gas canister fired by border police during a protest near the West Bank city of Ramallah over Israel's use of force against a Gaza-bound aid ship.

The US embassy in Tel Aviv passed on a request to the Israeli foreign ministry asking that Israel investigate the incident, embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer told AFP.

"When American citizens are injured we tend to want to know what happened," Hoyer said, adding that the request was "normal procedure."

The foreign ministry said it was awaiting a formal request.

The incident occurred as Henochowicz and other foreigners were taking part in a protest last Monday against Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship which killed nine Turkish activists.