The State Department said Monday that it determined five units of Israel’s security forces were responsible for “gross human rights violations” against Palestinians in the West Bank, but the finding won’t impact US military aid to Israel.
“After a careful process, we found five Israeli units responsible for individual incidents of gross violations of human rights. All of these were incidents much before October 7, and none took place in Gaza,” said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
The State Department conducted the investigation under the Leahy Law, which prohibits sending military aid to security forces that commit human rights violations. But Patel said weapons transfers would not be impacted and claimed Israel had taken steps to address the US concerns about four of the units.
“Four of these units have effectively remediated these violations, which is what we expect partners to do… For a remaining unit, we continue to be in consultations and engagements with the government of Israel,” he said.
The “remaining unit” is believed to be the Netzah Yehuda, an ultra-Orthodox military battalion responsible for the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian American in 2022. Media reports said that the US was expected to blacklist Netzah Yehuda last week, but after public protest from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, the sanctions never came.
“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the [Israeli army] – I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said last week.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in a letter last week that the US wouldn’t be sanctioning any Israeli military units despite the “gross human rights violations.”
As Caitlin Johnstone wrote, the didn’t sanction any of them because Israel ASKED us not do. Because America apparently totally reports to Isarel now.
Those American officials actively supporting genocide will eventually be tried for war crimes.
I hope so but can’t believe that will actually happen.I would love to see Biden and Netanyahu in the dock along with Clinton,Obama and Bushie.
I won’t hold my breath. Shrub invaded Iraq based on manufactured info which he **KNEW** was fake, authorized torture, approved using proscribed weapons and illegal international kidnappings, and currently is free as a bird and pulling down six figures for half-hour speeches.
Consequences are just for the little people. Once one arrives at a certain level of society they’re effectively immune to prosecution no matter what how blatant the crimes.
Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama being all friendly with that war criminal curdles my blood.
Obama was a war criminal too.
No doubt. And he didn’t even have to be transformed like Bush has been. Just an accepted war criminal from the start.
Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama being all friendly with that war criminal curdles my blood.
You meant Israel reports to Israel?
Cause but no effect? ;-/
They are terrorists and should be dealt as such.
The Arabs of 911 only killed 3000. Israel is doing much better with the total rising to as much as 500 a day, Who are the terrorists? Soldiers in the IDF.
Are we certain it was “the Arabs”?
“After a careful process, we found five Israeli units responsible for individual incidents of gross violations of human rights. All of these were incidents much before October 7, and none took place in Gaza,” said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
Meaning genocide isn’t considered to be a gross violation of human rights. Dropping 2000 lb bombs on densely populated areas (mainly women and children), killing anything that moves and creating a man made famine must be something “which is what we expect partners to do.”