The US State Department has identified five Israeli military units that committed serious human rights violations in various incidents. Despite this, the US will continue to support these units with military aid.
These violations occurred outside of Gaza before the onset of the current conflict.
Israel has implemented corrective measures in four of these units and provided additional information concerning the fifth, ensuring that all remain qualified for US military assistance.
The US is a key military supporter of Israel, providing $3.8 billion annually in weapons and defense systems.
This marks the first time the US government has made such a determination about any Israeli military unit, according to State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel.
“Four of these units have effectively remediated these violations, which is what we expect partners to do,” he said.
“For a remaining unit, we continue to be in consultations and engagements with the government of Israel; they have submitted additional information as it pertains to that unit,” he added.
The department has refuted allegations that it succumbed to political pressure by maintaining military support for the unit, despite not being able to confirm if any accountability measures were taken in the case.
“We are engaging with them in a process, and we will make an ultimate decision when it comes to that unit when that process is complete,” said Mr Patel.
The incidents are reported to have occurred in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem over recent years.
Under the “Leahy Law,” enacted in 1997 by then-Senator Patrick Leahy, a determination that a foreign military unit has committed gross human rights violations can lead to the suspension of US military assistance to that unit. The US government identifies acts such as torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and rape as such violations under this law.
Despite such findings, the State Department can choose to continue military assistance if it is satisfied that the government involved has addressed the violations and pursued justice. According to the department, Israel has undertaken such remediation in four of the five units, although details about the incidents, the remedial actions taken, the specific units, or evidence of the effectiveness of these actions have not been disclosed.
It was rumored that the US was close to announcing a cut in military aid to the fifth unit, but delayed the decision after receiving new information from Israel.
The unit in question is believed to be the Netzah Yehuda battalion, an all-male unit established in 1999 for ultra-Orthodox Jews. This battalion was investigated by Israel following the death of 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad, who died after being bound and gagged by soldiers during a search in a West Bank village in 2022. At the time, the US called for a “thorough criminal investigation and full accountability.”
Later, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expressed regret over Mr. Assad’s death. A commander was to be reprimanded and two soldiers restricted from senior positions for two years, but no criminal prosecutions were pursued.
Asked about reports an IDF unit would be the first ever to face the US government designation under the Leahy Law, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on 19 April: “I made determinations. You can expect to see them in the days ahead.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to strongly oppose any sanctions imposed on Israel’s military, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz discussed the matter over the phone with Mr. Blinken.
When questioned by the BBC on whether the State Department had postponed or moderated its stance on suspending military support to the fifth unit, Mr. Patel stated that a decision would be made once discussions with the Israeli government had concluded.