US State Department’s Findings
The US State Department has identified five units of the Israeli military responsible for severe human rights violations, all occurring outside Gaza before the recent conflict.
Continuation of Military Support
Despite the violations, the department confirmed that all units will still receive US military backing. Israel took corrective measures in four units, while providing additional information for the fifth.
US-Israel Military Relations
The US is a major military supporter of Israel, providing approximately $3.8 billion annually in weapons and defense systems.
Response and Accountability
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel stated that while four units remedied the violations, discussions continue regarding the fifth. The department maintains it is engaged in a thorough process and will decide on the unit’s eligibility after completion.
The Leahy Law and Implications
The Leahy Law, introduced by then-Senator Patrick Leahy in 1997, stipulates that a foreign military unit found to have committed gross violations of human rights could lose its eligibility for US military assistance. The US government defines violations such as torture, extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, and rape as grounds for implementation of the Leahy law.
Exceptions to cutting military aid exist if the State Department determines that the involved government has taken appropriate actions to address the violations and pursue justice. Israel reportedly remediated four out of the five units implicated, although the Department did not provide specific details regarding the incidents, the remediation efforts, or the units involved.
While the US was considering cutting military aid to the fifth unit, new information from Israel prompted a delay in the decision-making process. Speculation suggests that the unit in question may be the Netzah Yehuda battalion, a specialized all-male unit established in 1999, where ultra-Orthodox Jews serve. This unit came under scrutiny following the death of 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad during a West Bank village search in 2022. Despite calls for a thorough investigation and accountability from the US, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) expressed regret over Assad’s death but opted for internal disciplinary actions rather than prosecution. Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, vehemently opposed any potential sanctions on the military. Regarding the delayed decision on military assistance to the fifth unit, State Department officials stated that they would finalize their stance after completing consultations with the Israeli government.
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