Meeting American envoy, IDF chief sorry for ‘moral’ failing in death of US citizen

In his first meeting with US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides on Friday, IDF chief of staff Aviv Kohavi expressed regret over the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man who suffered a heart attack after being bound, gagged and abandoned at a construction site in the middle of winter by Israeli soldiers last month.

Kohavi “made clear that this was a grave moral incident that is contrary to the values of the IDF,” an Israeli military statement on the meeting said, reiterating the one issued on the findings of the IDF’s internal probe into the January 12 incident death of Omar As’ad.

Kohavi also confirmed to Nides that a criminal investigation into the incident is ongoing and that disciplinary actions had already been taken against the officers involved. Two officers were removed from their positions and a third was formally censured.

As’ad’s death sparked a sharp response from the Biden administration, with the State Department emphasizing in the multiple statements issued on the matter that it takes the safety of its nationals abroad very seriously.

Even after the IDF’s internal probe, the US has continued to call for a “thorough criminal investigation.”

“The United States expects a thorough criminal investigation and full accountability in this case, and we welcome receiving additional information on these efforts as soon as possible,” a State Department statement said.

A group of Democratic lawmakers has also sounded off on As’ad’s death, demanding an investigation and expressing concern over Israeli military practices in the West Bank more broadly.

Also during their meeting, Kohavi briefed Nides on the regional security situation, and the two discussed shared challenges in the Mideast, “foremost being the threat of the Iranian regime,” the IDF readout said. They also raised opportunities for deepening security cooperation in the Middle East.

A day earlier, Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited the United States Navy’s 5th Fleet base in Bahrain, using the opportunity to hail ties between the three countries amid growing threats from Iran.

Gantz’s visit came as the 5th Fleet launched its biennial International Maritime Exercise, known by its abbreviation IMX, a massive international drill with participants from around the world, including countries with which Israel does not have formal ties, like Saudi Arabia.

Israeli officials see a growing potential for formal ties with Saudi Arabia, as the regional power tracks the benefits of such relations currently being enjoyed by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which normalized ties with Jerusalem in September 2020.

This thaw with Riyadh could also be seen in what is becoming an increasingly common, but still diplomatically sensitive, event: Gantz made his trip to Bahrain through Saudi Arabian airspace, marking one of the first known times that an Israeli Air Force plane made such a trip publicly.

The IDF readout said Kohavi “expressed his appreciation for the United States’ commitment to the security of the State of Israel and cooperation between the two nations’ militaries.”

No public statement on the meeting was immediately provided by the US embassy.