Jim Williams covers the Israel-Hamas war as well as the Middle East. He files reports as the action both written and video for Inside The Nation.
Washington, D.C. – United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stepped to the microphone at his Monday press briefing and announced his office was releasing the annual detailed Humanitarian Report. The Secretary did not announce any sanctions against Israel but said he would be addressing the issue sometime in the future.
Blinken was quick to praise Israel for its openness and transparency in investigating any allegations of human rights violations. Over past 24 hours Secretary Blinken has spoken with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz today.
The Secretary underscored the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and discussed measures to increase life-saving humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the need for an immediate ceasefire that secures the release of hostages, and additional steps to minimize harm to civilians.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Gantz also discussed efforts to ensure the conflict in Gaza does not spread.
Blinken also spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant today. The Secretary and the Minister discussed efforts to protect Israel’s security and negotiations to secure the release of hostages, enable an immediate ceasefire, and increase the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The Secretary also underscored the importance of measures to de-escalate tensions in the region.
Meanwhile, many members of the press thought Blinken would sanction Israel via the Leahy Law specifically as it pertained to an IDF unit Netzah Yehuda — an infantry battalion founded about 25 years ago and is made up of ultra-Orthodox men. According to multiple reports the unit came under fire from humanitarian groups for possible abuse stemming from an 2022 incident involving an elderly Palestinian-American man was found dead shortly after he was detained at a West Bank checkpoint.
After mounting pressure from the U.S. government, the Israeli military said the incident “was a grave and unfortunate event, resulting from moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers.” It said one officer was reprimanded and two other officers reassigned to non-commanding roles, over the incident.
Axios was the first to report that Blinken was likely to impose sanctions on Israel and even though he has yet to say what his decision is Israeli leaders condemned the anticipated decision as unfair, especially at a time when Israel is at war, and vowed to oppose it.
“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit in the IDF, I will fight it with all my might,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
On Sunday the IDF issued a statement saying that the Netzah Yehuda soldiers “are currently participating in the war effort in the Gaza Strip.” “The battalion is professionally and bravely conducting operations in accordance to the IDF Code of Ethics and with full commitment to international law,” it said. It said that if the unit is sanctioned, “its consequences will be reviewed.”
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