Secretary of State Antony Blinken is evaluating new information provided by the Israeli government about an Israeli military unit accused of committing gross violations of human rights in the West Bank. This evaluation is being done to determine whether to recommend suspending U.S. aid to the unit under the Leahy Law, which prohibits providing weapons or funds to groups with credible human rights violations. This potential move is gaining public scrutiny as the Biden administration faces pressure to hold Israel accountable for international human rights standards, marking a potential unprecedented shift in the U.S.-Israel security partnership.
In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Blinken assured that the broader determinations made under the Leahy Law would not delay the delivery of any U.S. assistance to Israel. Israel will continue to receive the full amount appropriated by Congress, despite the evaluation of the military units and civilian authority units implicated in human rights violations against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. Blinken specified that three IDF battalions and two civilian authority units were investigated for gross human rights violations, all of which occurred before the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
While two of the IDF battalions were found to be credibly implicated in human rights violations, the Israeli government had already conducted effective remediation, allowing U.S. security assistance to continue to flow to those units. However, the third IDF unit had not undergone effective remediation, despite being acknowledged by the Israeli government for engaging in conduct inconsistent with IDF rules. This unit was transferred to the Golan Heights from the West Bank in 2022. Blinken mentioned that the Israeli government has presented new information about the status of this unit and discussions will be held to identify a path to effective remediation, without specifying if a suspension of U.S. aid may be necessary in the future.
One of the IDF battalions found to be in violation was the Netzah Yehuda unit, which was implicated in the death of an 80-year-old Palestinian. The evaluation of these military units is part of a broader effort to ensure that U.S. aid is not provided to groups that have committed human rights violations. Blinken’s letter to Johnson was delivered on the day a foreign aid package was scheduled for a vote on the House floor, with Johnson demanding assurance that U.S. assistance to Israel would not be affected by the evaluations under the Leahy Law.
The potential suspension of U.S. aid to an Israeli military unit marks a significant moment in the U.S.-Israel security partnership, as the Biden administration faces pressure to hold Israel accountable for human rights violations. The evaluation of the IDF battalions and civilian authority units implicated in human rights violations is part of a broader effort to ensure that U.S. assistance aligns with international human rights standards. Discussions will continue to address the need for effective remediation of the military unit that has not yet undergone such measures, with the goal of maintaining the security partnership while upholding human rights principles.
