The United States has announced that it found five Israeli military units responsible for gross violations of human rights before the Israel-Hamas war began. While four of these units have reportedly addressed and remediated the violations, the fifth unit, identified as Netzah Yehuda, is under discussion between the U.S. and Israel. These violations occurred prior to the war’s start on October 7 and did not take place in Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously communicated to House Speaker Mike Johnson that three Israeli military battalions committed gross human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank. There were expectations of announcements regarding these determinations and potential sanctions against the responsible units. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposed such measures, stating that they shouldn’t be imposed, especially during the ongoing conflict.
U.S. Claims Five Israeli Military Units Committed Human Rights Violations Before War (Credits: Middle East Monitor)
Netanyahu criticized the intention to sanction an Israeli Defense Force unit, calling it absurd and morally wrong. He emphasized that his government would take action against these moves, and he had been working to prevent the imposition of sanctions for weeks.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel addressed accusations of preferential treatment towards Israel, asserting that a process is ongoing to determine if Israel violated U.S. law, specifically the Leahy Laws. These laws prohibit U.S. assistance to foreign security force units where credible information exists of gross human rights violations. Patel emphasized that the Leahy Law standards are consistently applied to all countries, rejecting claims of double standards or special treatment.
