Headline: US State Department Finds Israeli Military Units Responsible for Human Rights Violations, but Will Continue Military Aid

File: Protesters opposed to the coalition's controversial judicial overhaul proposals wave Israeli and American flags during a protest in support of US President Joe Biden, outside of the US Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

In a highly anticipated announcement, the US State Department has revealed that five Israeli military units have been found responsible for gross human rights violations in individual incidents. However, despite this determination, the US will continue to provide military assistance to all five units.

The incidents in question occurred outside of Gaza before the current war, and Israel has taken corrective action in four of the units, with the fifth unit still under consultation. According to the State Department, Israel has effectively remediated the violations in four of the units, and a decision on the fifth unit will be made once the consultation process is complete.

This development marks the first time that the US government has made a determination of this kind for any Israeli military unit. The announcement has sparked controversy, with some critics arguing that the US is not holding Israel accountable for its actions.

The US provides $3.8 billion worth of weapons and defense systems to Israel annually, making it Israel's largest military backer. The Leahy Law, sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy in 1997, requires the US to cut military assistance to foreign military units found to have committed gross human rights violations, unless the government has taken effective remediation measures.

According to the State Department, Israel has taken effective remediation measures in four of the five units, and is still consulting on the fifth unit. However, the department declined to provide any details of the incidents, the remediation, the units involved, or evidence to support whether the remediation was effective.

The unit still under consultation is widely reported to be the Netzah Yehuda battalion, a special men-only unit set up in 1999 where ultra-Orthodox Jews serve. Israel investigated the battalion over the death of 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad, who died after being bound and gagged by soldiers during a West Bank village search in 2022.

At the time, the US called for a "thorough criminal investigation and full accountability." The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later said they regretted Mr. Assad's death, and a commander would be "reprimanded" and two soldiers barred from senior positions for two years - but would not be prosecuted.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on April 19, "I made determinations. You can expect to see them in the days ahead." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to reject any sanctions on the country's military, saying he would "fight it with all my strength," while Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz spoke on the phone to Mr. Blinken.

Pressed by the BBC on Monday over whether the State Department had delayed or softened its position on withdrawing military assistance to the fifth unit, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said officials would make a decision when their consultations with the Israeli government were complete.

This development raises questions about the US's commitment to holding Israel accountable for its actions, and the impact on the human rights situation in the region.

Highlights:

• Five Israeli military units found responsible for gross human rights violations
• Incidents occurred outside of Gaza before the current war
• Israel has taken corrective action in four units, with the fifth unit still under consultation
• US will continue to provide military assistance to all five units
• US State Department has determined that Israel has effectively remediated the violations in four units
• Decision on the fifth unit will be made once the consultation process is complete

Context:

• The US provides $3.8 billion worth of weapons and defense systems to Israel annually
• The Leahy Law requires the US to cut military assistance to foreign military units found to have committed gross human rights violations, unless the government has taken effective remediation measures
• The US State Department has determined that Israel has taken effective remediation measures in four of the five units, and is still consulting on the fifth unit.