The US State Department has found evidence that five units of the Israeli army are involved in widespread human rights abuses. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (April 29) also informed that the US administration will still provide military support to the Israeli forces. British media reported the news.
Of the individual cases in which evidence of human rights abuses against Israeli forces has been found, all have occurred outside of Gaza, Palestine; Before the start of the ongoing war. All the incidents are believed to have taken place in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem in recent years.
Israel has taken corrective measures against the four accused army units. State Department spokesman Vedanta Patel said additional information about the fifth unit had been provided. This means that all units of the Israeli military will be eligible for US military assistance.
The United States is Israel’s main military donor. The US supplies Israel with $3.8 billion worth of weapons and defense equipment each year.
Despite being unable to say whether the army was held accountable for human rights abuses, the Foreign Ministry denied political pressure to continue military aid to all Israeli units.
We are engaging them in a process, says Vedanta. We will make a final decision when that process is complete.
In 1997, then-Senator Patrick Leahy introduced a law known as the Leahy Act. Under the Act, a foreign military unit found to be involved in human rights abuses would be excluded from US military assistance. In the Leahy Act, torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and rape were considered human rights violations.
The fifth unit accused of human rights abuses is the Israeli army’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion. This unit was formed in 1999 with only male soldiers. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are members of this unit.
The unit has been accused of human rights violations in the past. At the time, the United States called for a thorough criminal investigation and full accountability against the unit. This time, the question has arisen whether the unit will lose its eligibility to receive US aid due to this allegation. However, due to additional information about the unit, there may be a delay in making a decision on this, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
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