US won't sanction IOF unit for W. Bank human rights violations: Axios
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After backtracking on the criminal investigation against the Israeli battalion, the US decided it wouldn't sanction the unit.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a conversation on Advancing Security and Prosperity in the Indo-Pacific Region with Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large Chan Heng Chee at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, on July 31, 2024. (AP)
On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant and revealed that he decided to end the investigation into the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Netzah Yehuda battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank and not impose sanctions on the unit, according to two senior US and Israeli officials, cited by Axios.
This comes after Gallant was engaged in discreet discussions with Blinken and other top US officials in recent months, claiming that the IOF has taken action to address human rights violations by the battalion's members.
According to Axios, imposing sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda battalion would have been an unprecedented move by the Biden administration, potentially straining Israeli relations with the US.
Criminal investigation unjustly ended
A 1997 law, authored by then-Senator Patrick Leahy, prohibits US foreign aid and Defense Department training programs from being provided to foreign security, military, and police units that are credibly accused of committing human rights violations. Meaning, that the US chose to drop the case against "Israel" to continue providing it with foreign aid.
According to the report, a senior US official said that while Blinken found the battalion guilty of serious human rights violations, "Israel" said it "resolved these issues", which include US concerns. The IOF reported that the two involved soldiers were discharged from combat and would not serve in reserves.
On the other hand, the US allegedly decided to halt the criminal investigation because the IOF couldn't gather any Palestinian testimonies about the alleged Israeli crimes. Meaning that the investigation was stopped because the Israelis were unable to collect evidence from Palestinians to testify against themselves.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the review confirmed the violations had been effectively addressed, permitting the unit to continue receiving US security assistance.
UN report on Israeli crimes
This comes in light of a UN report on Friday that reveals the IOF's crimes in the West Bank. The UN said that Palestinians continue to be killed and displaced by Israeli occupation troops in the West Bank.
Farhan Haq, the spokesperson for the secretary-general of the United Nations, clarified in a press release that the latest report released by UN organizations in the occupied region revealed that the destruction of Palestinian homes, infrastructure, and lives continues unabated in the West Bank.
Israeli occupation soldiers, according to Haq, killed 16 Palestinians between July 30 and August 5, including two children, and injured 56 others in the occupied West Bank. He emphasized that over the same period, "Israel" also launched over 20 attacks on Palestinians, resulting in injuries and property damage.
