It was stated that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is reviewing new information regarding allegations that some units of the Israeli army violated the conditions for receiving US aid specified in the Leahy Law.
According to CBS News, Blinken gave information about three Israeli battalions and two civilian units in his letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Stating that the allegations of violations against two of the battalions were “credible”, Blinken argued that Israel carried out “effective improvement” for both units.
Blinken said that the third battalion engaged in some “abnormal behavior” and was transferred from the West Bank to the Golan Heights in 2022, but “no effective improvement has been made to date.”
Noting that the Israeli government has provided new information about the situation of this battalion, Blinken stated that they will try to determine an effective recovery path.
CBS News previously claimed that one of the battalions found to have committed violations was the Netzah Yehuda unit, which was involved in the death of an 80-year-old Palestinian American in 2022.
Stating that none of the actions of the battalions and units took place in “Israel’s attacks against Hamas”, Blinken argued that all actions took place before October 7.
On the other hand, the letter also stated that the situations determined within the framework of the Leahy Law “will not delay US aid and the amount determined by Congress will be provided to Israel.”
“I would also like to underline that no decision has been made regarding Israel within the framework of the Leahy Act,” Blinken wrote in the letter.
The Leahy Law stipulates that weapons cannot be sold to states and groups determined to violate human rights.
NETZAH YEHUDA BATTALION ON THE US RADAR
Members of the Netzach Yehuda battalion, created for ultra-Orthodox Jews, are all men.
Netzah Yehuda draws attention as a battalion consisting of anti-Palestinian far-right Jewish settlers and fanatical youth known as “Hill Youth”.
This battalion of the Israeli army is accused of being involved in numerous incidents of violence, rights violations and disproportionate use of force against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The Netzah Judah battalion entered the US radar after detaining US citizen Palestinian Omar Assad in the West Bank on January 12, 2022, and leaving him to die even though he was getting worse.
Although disciplinary punishment was given against the “Netzah Yehuda” Battalion Commander and other soldiers responsible for the unit involved in the incident in the investigation report into the death of the US citizen, Washington announced that it “demands a comprehensive criminal investigation and full accountability in this case.”
According to the news in Haaretz newspaper, this battalion was moved from the West Bank to the occupied Golan Heights due to the numerous incidents of violence against Palestinian civilians.
