US ambassador to Israel fires back at State Dept. over scrutiny of Israel army
Tehran (KNA) - The US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, fired back at the State Department over a stated effort to block military aid to militaries that violate human rights, including Israel.
He emailed the department last October, claiming that "Israel is a democracy whose army does not engage in gross violations of human rights."
Israeli forces, who regularly violate human rights, have recently killed scores of Palestinians during protests.
'Time of war'
The envy of US President Donald Trump was responding to a request by the department for a more careful examination of American military assistance by embassies in the Middle East.
Friedman further claimed that Israel "has a robust system of investigation and prosecution in the rare circumstance where misconduct occurs."
He also admitted that such a move "would be against [US] national interests… especially in a time of war."
Friedman's email was part of a chain shown to Politico by a former State Department official.
Along with Trump, Friedman attended the opening ceremony for the US embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds despite global condemnation.
Source: Press TV