State Department: Five IDF Units Responsible For ‘Violations of Human Rights’

The United States State Department found five Israeli Defense Forces units responsible for “incidents of gross violations of human rights.”

Key Quotes: Vedant Patel, a state department spokesperson, said, “we found five Israeli units responsible for individual incidents of gross violations of human rights. All of these were incidents much before October 7 and none took place in Gaza.” Patel added, “Four of these units have effectively remediated these violations, which is what we expect partners to do … For a remaining unit, we continue to be in consultations and engagements with the government of Israel.”

For Context: Last week, outlets across the spectrum reported that the United States was preparing to impose sanctions on IDF units linked to alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank. Outlets noted the Leahy laws, which prohibits the U.S. from providing aid to foreign military forces responsible for atrocities.

Details: Patel said the unit that has not “effectively remediated” is still eligible for U.S. aid despite the Leahy laws, stating, “When we're talking about the Leahy Law, what we are talking about our unit and component restrictions, when they are found in violation, it is not have bearing on the broader security relationship that we may have with a country.”

How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) framed the report as accusations made by the Biden administration, while Reuters (Center bias) and The Guardian (Lean Left bias) framed the report as discoveries made by the State Department.