Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson explaining that three Israeli military units found to have committed “gross human rights violations” will not be prevented from obtaining US weapons. Last week, Axios reported that the State Department had elected to blacklist a single Israeli military battalion that was responsible for killing an elderly Palestinian-American man.
ABC News says it obtained the letter from Blinken to Johnson that concluded three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and two civilian units had engaged in behavior that violated the Leahy Laws. The laws, named after former Senator Patrick Leahy, prevent US military aid from going to military brigades that commit human rights abuses.
Blinken claimed that Tel Aviv had taken steps towards accountability and clarified the finding that five Israeli units committed “gross human rights violations” would have no impact on US aid to Israel.
“The Israeli government has presented new information regarding the status of the unit and we will engage on identifying a path to effective remediation for this unit,” Blinken wrote. “But this will have no impact on our support for Israel’s ability to defend itself against Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, or other threats.”
The letter says four of the five units have taken measures to remedy the abuses, but none of the battalions will be sanctioned. All the human rights violations occurred before October 7.
For decades, Tel Aviv has remained one of the top recipients of Washington’s military aid. At the same time, various human rights organizations have said that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank amounts to an apartheid system.
Tel Aviv has been able to receive military assistance and commit gross human rights abuses, in part because Israel is granted special privileges when it comes to the enforcement of the Leahy Laws.
According to State Department officials and an investigative report by the Guardian, the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum (ILVF) set up “extraordinary policies” to “benefit” Israel. The ILVF process gives Tel Aviv unprecedented sway over any report the board issues.
Still, in December, the ILVF recommended that Blinken blacklist at least one Israeli military unit, Netzah Yehuda. The battalion is composed of ultra-Orthodox Jews who enlist in the IDF and receive significant religious accommodations. Netzah Yehuda killed a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man in 2022. The State Department also obtained a TikTok video showing the unit abusing Palestinians in the West Bank that same year.
Blinken did not act on the ILVF report until its existence was leaked to ProPublica earlier this month. The ProPublica article pushed journalists to question the State Department about the report. Last week, Axios reported that the White House was planning to sanction Netzah Yehuda on Monday.
After the Axios article, Israeli officials expressed outrage over the impending sanctions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this is the “height of absurdity and a moral low point” at a time when Israeli soldiers “[are] fighting the terrorist monsters.” War cabinet member Benny Gantz, who is portrayed as Netanyahu’s moderate opposition, stated, “I have great appreciation for our American friends, but the decision to impose sanctions on an IDF unit. . . sets a dangerous precedent.”
According to an Axios report published on Friday, the plans for sanctions on Netzah Yehuda were put on hold after several conversations between top officials in Washington and Tel Aviv. The Israeli officials argued that sanctions against Netzah Yehuda could open soldiers to prosecution at the World Court.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Wagging finger. Then taking the order for more weapons to kill more kids in Gaza. I am 80 now, and I really do not like my country. At all.
Even at 80 you are still not to old to leave.
Or his country could change into a country that isn’t led around by the nose by a pipsqueak of a country that is committing genocide as we speak. Normal American people with an ounce of empathy are disgusted when other people are being treated like animals. Maybe those that aren’t disgusted should be the ones leaving. Bye-bye.
People should be disgusted when children are being used as human shields to protect Hamas leaders who indeed act like animals. But you are OK with that tactic as long as you get to give you daily shout out of “genocide”.
PS Are you still mad that USA help shoot down all those missile aimed at Israel?
For arguments sake, let’s say Hamas is using children as human shields. It takes a special kind of sick animal to oblige them which is what the IDF is doing. And it takes an equally disgusting piece of fucking shit to defend them. You see, the difference between me and you? I don’t defend those you accuse of using human shields while you defend those that wantonly kill them. I’d love to meet you in person. Guess why.
Zionist said farewell to their consciences many moons ago.
It is not Hamas who is using human shields though. It are the Israeli. They use any Palestinian, but they do prefer to use children to hide behind. Probably learned through experience that they offer better protection. Wouldn’t work on Israeli, beacuse they prefer to target children. They do seem to prefer to use somewhat more mature Palestinians for reconnaisance. They tie explosives to their bodies, might put camera’s on them and send them into the places they expect resistance. They might trigger the explosives at their convience. The IDF uses entire families in their homes and use them as human shields for snipers nests.
It is standard practice for the IDF. It always was. It was that way before October 7th when history began and also stopped for Western media.
Thanks for a great comment!
Fuck off you Lying Zionist pig.
Israel has killed 500 times more children than died on 10/7 .Israel’s bombing is indiscriminate except when its targeting civilian.
Could you be any filthier? Any less human?
If there’s s hell, that’s where you’re going and preferably soon.
Zionist Israelis are dehumanized human animals.
Animals don’t do what the Israeli animals are doing to other humans including young children, and all for land and more money.
The Biden cabal are the same monsters.
As usual, Tim, you don’t know what you talk about.
“Even at 80 you are still not to old to leave.”
Whereas a govt that provides impunity for “gross human rights violations” against civilians?
Gives you a warm cozy feeling inside.
Who expected anything otherwise from Genocide Joe and Blinken?
Who is the president now Joe or BIBI? There should be a warrant out on both of them, Kamala can do the job as well, all she has to do is to take a vacation, campaign and sign the checks every few weeks.
Wow! I guess we were chastised by Bibi and melted under his glare.
This guy needs a drone strike. If we can hit so many others, then we can do him too.
LOL!
Is he JOE’S REPLACEMENT ALREADY, couldn’t he wait until Joe is buried?
When is the ICC going to charge Blinken with War Crimes?
Presumably when an ICC member state refers him and states what war crimes he committed on the territory of another ICC member state.
There is this thing called ASPA. So that is the end of that discussion. The ICC will accomodate American warcrimes or the ICC will cease to exist. Or some other nation would like to see one of their cities destroyed also.
But the US is not an ICC member but still controlled the court to order a warrant against Putin without credible evidence. Maybe Biden used a NATO member, I must have missed something.
Another Biden’s smoke screen that so quickly disappeared.
Toxic Sludge is Good For You!
google it
DUH!
The more interesting story is that the International Court of Justice is about to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli government officials.
This has Israeli officials in a tizzy, apparently. It means if Israel goes south from losing a war with Hezbollah and/or Iran, and Israeli officials try to flee to other countries which are part of the UN, they could be subject to arrest and trial for genocide.
You mean the International Criminal Court. I wouldn’t get excited about seeing Netanyahu under warrant with ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan at the helm.
Let us speak of prosecuting Hamas leaders and individuals for THEIR crimes.
Well, the state of Palestine is an ICC member state, so crimes within its borders or by its nationals do fall under ICC jurisdiction.
Maybe try to find an ICC member state to refer charges?
Even more interesting will be when eventually the ICJ formally rules that a genocide occurred – genocide enablers such as Blinken will face charges.
War crimes have no statute of limitations – Blinken has decades of hiding before him
For the record – the ICJ settles disputes between states, it does not investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by individuals. That is the jurisdiction of the ICC – the International Criminal Court, distinct from the UN it was established under the Rome Statute when ratified by 60 states in 2002. It now have 124 state parties of which none are Israel or the US.
Not that I disagree Blinken, among others, deserves to face a court of justice, just that I can’t configure how he’d get there. He could be prosecuted under several US laws he’s violated sending weapons to a country accused of genocide, but that’s not going to happen. Some very very brave country could submit an application to the ICJ for the US complicity in Genocide – but the US is ruthless and vindictive and that’s not likely to happen either. The UNGA could establish a tribunal but no evidence that’s in play. And you won’t see a US boot on the ground in Palestine that might allow the US to be pulled into the existing ICC investigation of the “Palestine Situation” and even then the ICC Chief Prosecutor is a western toady so as unlikely as all the other avenues.
The constellation of forces is changing PDQ
We’ll see how PDQ this October. In any case the US remains a ruthless & vindictive super power who’s raison d’etre of global domination has not changed with the multipolar world.
De-dollarization brings peace
Peace will have a good while coming, de-dollarization can’t be done PDQ, optimistic Sachs thinks fast at 5 years.
2022 plus 5 = 2027
The current conflict in the Palestinian territories fall under the ongoing “Palestine Situation” investigation launched 3.3.2021.
Between Nov 2023 and Jan ’24 South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, Djibout, Chile and Mexico have submitted referrals to the ICC.
Let us not. We didn’t even start to talk about the crimes of Bomber Harris until way, way waahaay after Goering dangled from a rope. And even then only academically.
All and well with evaluating warcrimes from a universalist perspective, but you do have to have your priorities straight. The Israeli are off the scale when it comes to warcrimes and crimes against humanity. As far as I am aware Hamas hasn’t destroyed Israeli hospitals and schools so as to create the conditions under which they deliberately inflict on Jewish Israeli conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part. Not aware of Hamas hungering Israeli children to death by creating an artificial famine in Israel with the assistance and diplomatic cover of a superpower. Not heard of Israel being described by anyone ever, least of all Israeli officials, as a Hamas occupied concentration camp. And on and on and on and on and on.
So let us defeat Zionism, make it go the way of its ideological twin Nazism, and make the world a better place.
INDEED, LET US. But given the crimes of all parties, including Palestinian nationals eg. Hamas, remain under ICC investigation we’ll need to await their findings of crime(s,) reasonable grounds the person(s) has/have committed said crime and all the other legal steps required before a prosecution can begin.
All the human rights violations occurred before October 7.
I see. And everything since then has been on the up and up. Makes one want to upchuck.
I condemn everything Israel did for decades before Oct 7, then what Hamas did on that day, and then everything Israel has done since that day. It is one day of rage vs decades of far worse calculated genocide. One day vs thousands of days. Hundreds of murders interrupting hundreds of thousands of murders continuous before and after, always more and more.
Well put!
Naming Joe Biden Genocide Joe is oh so appropriate. This obviously does surprise anyone as it is consistent with the Biden administration. Both he and Trump must lose their bids for the presidency of America if the US is to regain any semblance of a sane country.
Now you know who rules over you…
Why prevent them from getting American weapons? That is strictly business and has nothing to do with what the buyer does with them as long as there is a profit to be made. Never mind, the Israelis don’t pay, the American working people pay.
Quack
Quack
Quack
apples and oranges
v
Plus, protestors are being rounded up as I type. Freedom of speech is ok unless it’s about Israel and their ongoing ethnic cleansing which boils down to real estate opportunities. I’m sure members of the US gov. will benefit from that also.