State Department: Five IDF Units Responsible For ‘Violations of Human Rights’
Summary from the AllSides News Team
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.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
US finds Israeli units committed human rights abuses before Gaza warThe US has found five units of the Israeli security forces responsible for gross violations of human rights, over incidents in the West Bank before the current Gaza war, the state department has said.
The findings come at a time when Israel is facing potential accountability from the international criminal court and the state department for its conduct of the conflict in Gaza, in which more than 34,000 people have been killed.
The units found to be involved in abuses in the West Bank are mostly from the Israel Defense...
From the Center
US implicates 5 Israeli units in rights violations before Gaza war, no restrictions on assistanceThe United States found five units of Israel's security forces responsible for gross violations of human rights, the first time Washington has reached such a conclusion about Israeli forces, the State Department said on Monday, though it has not barred any of the units from receiving U.S. military assistance.
Israel has conducted "remediation" in the cases of four of the units in compliance with U.S. law prohibiting military assistance to security force units that commit such abuses and have not been brought to justice, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel...
From the Right
Biden admin accuses Israeli military of human rights violations in stunning condemnationThe U.S. found five units of the Israel Defense Forces responsible "for individual incidents of gross violations of human rights," the State Department announced on Monday – though whether funding to the American ally could be cut over such abuses under the so-called "Leahy Laws" still hangs in the balance.
At a press briefing, State Department principal deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that the human rights violations happened all before the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants on southern Israel and none happened in Gaza. Four of the units...
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