IOF units 'remediated' after rights violations, no Leahy sanctions
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The US continues to provide weapons support to Israeli occupation forces despite identifying five units responsible for human rights violations before the Gaza war.
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Israeli occupation forces take their position during confrontations at Beit El checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, on January 29, 2020. (AP)
The US made it clear that weapons would continue to flow to all Israeli occupation forces and police units despite Leahy sanctions "almost" bringing funding to the Israeli occupation forces' Netzah Yehuda unit to an end due to human rights violations committed before the start of the Gaza genocide.
Most recently, the US State Department spokesperson, Vedant Patel, announced that "after a careful process, we found five Israeli units responsible for individual incidents of gross human rights violations. All of these were incidents much before October 7 and none took place in Gaza."
According to Patel, "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."
US walks back on sanctioning Israeli occupation forces unit
The Biden administration, after reportedly finding three battalions within the Israeli occupation forces to be violating human rights and taking the decision to sanction it, decided not to proceed with the punitive measures.
The three battalions, found to be committing "gross human rights violations" against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, will walk away scott-free as no sanctions will be imposed on them, ABC News reported.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed US House Speaker Mike Johnson of the decision in a Friday letter, wherein he reportedly said the fact that they were found to be violating human rights would not impede or delay the delivery of any assistance to the Israeli occupation.
Blinken underlined that the Israeli occupation forces would receive the full amount of arms and funds appropriated by Congress.
It is not at all surprising that the Biden administration did not go forward with the sanctions, as Israeli lobbying is known to be fully effective, and Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to fight tooth and nail against the sanctions.
Netanyahu had declared his staunch opposition to any potential sanctions imposed on Israeli military units over rights violations.
In a statement, Netanyahu asserted, "If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the [Israeli forces] - I will fight it with all my strength."
Read more: Internal US memo suggests 'Israel' violating int'l law: Reuters
