According to a report from ABC News, Washington has decided against imposing sanctions on Israeli military and police units that the United States has accused of “human rights violations” against Palestinians, including the Netzach Yehuda Battalion.
While the Biden administration acknowledges “gross human rights violations” committed by the IDF against Palestinians in the West Bank, the relevant battalions will still be eligible for US military assistance.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed this assessment in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, as reported by ABC. Blinken emphasized that this decision “will not delay the delivery of any US assistance,” allowing Israel to receive the full amount allocated by Congress.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure, which includes support for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The legislation provides $17 billion in wartime assistance to Israel and $9 billion in humanitarian relief for Gaza and other conflict-affected regions. Biden highlighted the inclusion of $1 billion in additional humanitarian aid for Gaza during a White House event announcing the bill’s signing.
The ABC report points out that allegations of rights abuses by IDF units occurred before the outbreak of the war in Gaza on October 7, triggered by Hamas’s brutal massacre in southern Israel. Importantly, none of the reported cases involve operations against Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, engaged in separate discussions with Blinken this week to dissuade Washington from pursuing reported plans to impose sanctions on Netzach Yehuda.
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The Administration knew all along that the allegations against the battalion were BS, but pandered for awhile to its extreme left base. Another reason why Trump should be reelected in November — no pandering to the anti-Semites!