State comptroller says Lapid’s criticism of probe ‘dangerous’

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman says Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid’s attack on his investigation into the failures surrounding the October 7 Hamas invasion is “dangerous” and damages Israel’s “democratic fabric,” and rejects Lapid’s allegation that he is politically biased.

Speaking during a tour of areas of northern Israel that are under repeated rocket attacks from Hezbollah, he insists he is examining all aspects of the multilevel failures in which Hamas was able to take control of numerous communities in southern Israel during its invasion and carry out the atrocities in which some 1,200 people were massacred.

“An attack on the institution of the state comptroller is dangerous and harms [law enforcement] gatekeepers and the democratic fabric of the State of Israel,” says Englman following Lapid’s comments.

“As I have stated more than once, the review is dealing with all echelons, political, civilian, and military. Every officeholder of an agency under the review [of the State Comptroller’s Office] is obligated to fully cooperate with the review, in accordance with the Basic Law [for the State Comptroller],” he continues, adding, “We will continue with the review without fear.”

Turning to the bombardment of the north by Hezbollah, Englman says “it is forbidden to abandon the north” and urged that funding be allocated to help the region.

He noted that the school he was visiting in the kibbutz of Kfar Blum was educating its children “under fire.”

“I call on the prime minister and ministers: Come to the north, the north cannot be abandoned, we must allocate resources in the shadow of the ongoing tensions.”