Lapid vows troops ‘won’t be interrogated’ by FBI over Abu Akleh killing

Prime Minister Yair Lapid says that Israel’s soldiers “will not be interrogated” by “any foreign body, ” responding to a US probe into the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

“IDF soldiers will not be interrogated by the FBI or by any foreign body or foreign country, however friendly,” Lapid says to freshly sworn-in Knesset members. “We will not abandon IDF soldiers to foreign investigations, and our strong protest has been passed on to the Americans at the appropriate levels.”

Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering firefights between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen in Jenin on May 11. An IDF investigation found that she was likely struck by an IDF bullet, though not intentionally targeted.

“The IDF is a moral and values-based army. IDF soldiers and commanders defend the State of Israel, thoroughly investigate every aberrant incident, and are committed to the values of democracy and its laws,” Lapid adds.

The remarks come after Defense Minister Benny Gantz shut down the possibility of Israeli cooperation.