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☆ US decides not to restrict military aid to Israeli unit accused of human rights violations
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US will not restrict military aid to an Israeli Defense Forces unit accused of committing violations of human rights against Palestinians in the West Bank after determining the violations were “effectively remediated,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement obtained by CNN on Monday. The decision not to restrict military assistance to the Netzah Yehuda battalion came months after the United States accused it and four other Israeli security units of committing the gross violations of human rights, which occurred before the outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The State Department said in April that the other four had “effectively remediated these violations.”Netzah Yehuda, an ultra-Orthodox unit of the IDF, was transferred from the West Bank to the Golan Heights in 2022. “After thoroughly reviewing that information, we have determined that violations by this unit have also been effectively remediated. Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed sharp criticism to the reports of impending action by the US.

Persons: Matthew Miller, Yehuda, ” Netzah Yehuda, Omar Assad, ” Miller, “, Leahy, Vedant Patel, Netzah Yehuda, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Israel Organizations: CNN, Israeli Defense Forces, West Bank, State Department, IDF, Government, ”, Leahy Law, State, US, The State Department Locations: ”, States, Gaza, Israel, United States of America

☆ Israel’s Netzah Yehuda: How an army unit deemed abusive by the US is shaping the fight in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Cnn S International Investigations Team | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

In this 2014 photo, Israeli soldiers in the Netzah Yehuda battalion are seen taking part in training in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, near the Syrian border. While he was in Netzah Yehuda, he said, the battalion’s commanders played a key role in perpetuating a culture of violence, both by standing by as it happened and promoting it. The findings by the expert panel would have been enough to disqualify a military unit from any other country, the officials said. Lt. Col. Nitai Okashi oversaw the Netzah Yehuda battalion from 2018 to 2020. Lt. Col. Uri Levy was in charge of Netzah Yehuda from 2014 to 2016.

Persons: Yehuda, Menahem Kahana, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Mike Johnson, Israel “, Blinken, Netzah Yehuda, –, ” Charles Blaha, they’re, ”, “, Biden, Israel, Netzah, Ahmad Jamil Fahd, Sanad, Shin Bet, Gil Cohen, Josh Paul, Paul, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Amanpour, ” Paul, Eyad Baba, Joe Biden, Leahy, Sen, Patrick Leahy, Charles Blaha, Blaha, Omar Assad, Assad, Netzah Yehuda –, Mati Shevach, Nasser Nasser, ” Blaha, Shevach, Nitai Okashi, Okashi, Der Spiegel, , Uri Levy, Levy, Johnson, don’t, ” Netzah Yehuda, Col, Shlomo Shiran, Katie Polglase, Benjamin Brown, Barbara Arvanitidis, Alex Platt, Mark Baron, Augusta Anthony, Alberto Mier, Toby Hancock, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Laura Smith, Eliza Mackintosh, Dan Wright, Matt Wells Ami Kaufman, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces, US State Department, State Department, Getty, IDF, State Department’s Office, Security, Human Rights CNN, Congress, Department, Israel Border Police, Internal Security Forces, ” CNN, Israeli Air Force Base, Magen, State, Human, Kfir Brigade, AP, Netzah, Urban Warfare Training Center, CBS, Battalion, Kfir Infantry Brigade, West Bank ., Jerusalem Brigade, Britain’s Guardian, Okashi, Israeli, Augusta Anthony Visual Locations: Israeli, United States, Gaza, Golan, Syrian, AFP, Palestinian, Israel, Ramallah, Rahat, Jerusalem, Jiljilya, Col, West Bank, Jiljiliya, Beit Hanoun

☆ Ukraine's Azov Brigade, a unit with a controversial past, can now use American weapons to fight the Russians
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThe US State Department announced Monday that it has lifted a ban on the Azov Brigade, a former Ukrainian militia group with an ultranationalist history, allowing the current National Guard unit to receive American weapon shipments and training. A State Department spokesperson told BBC on Tuesday that following a vetting of the brigade, there was "no evidence of gross violations of human rights." Related storiesNow known as the Azov Brigade, the unit became part of the Ukrainian National Guard in 2015. AdvertisementThe State Department has dismissed the congressional ban and said the Azov Brigade "passed Leahy vetting," referring to Leahy Law, which prevents the US from supporting foreign entities that have committed major human rights violations. The Azov Brigade has claimed that it has evolved from its problematic past and that its leadership has changed since its inception.

Persons: —, Leahy, Dmytro Kozatski, Ruslan Muzychuk, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, US State Department, Azov Brigade, National Guard, State Department, BBC, Business, Azov Battalion, Ukrainian National Guard, Department, Leahy Law, Azov Special Forces Regiment, Ukrainian National Guard Press, Washington Post Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Mariupol, United States

☆ US determines 5 Israeli security units committed human rights violations before outbreak of Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US State Department has determined that five Israeli security units committed gross violations of human rights prior to the outbreak of the war with Hamas in Gaza, but is still deciding whether to restrict military assistance to one of the units under US law. The other four “have effectively remediated these violations,” deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said Monday. The US is still deciding whether to restrict assistance to the remaining unit – reported to be the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion. They have submitted additional information as it pertains to that unit, and we’re continuing to have those conversations,” Patel said. Patel also declined to detail the units or speak about specifics of the remediation process.

Persons: Vedant Patel, Netzah Yehuda, ” Patel, they’ve, ”, Antony Blinken, Leahy, Patel, Israel, “, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Government, Leahy Law, State Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States

☆ Middle East Crisis Senior Israeli Military Official Offers to Resign After Oct. 7 Intelligence Failures
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Mr. Netanyahu said in a social media post that his government would “act by all means” against any such move. The sanctions, if imposed, would not hold up the military aid that was just approved in Congress. The Israeli military disciplined three of the unit’s commanders after the investigation. Human rights organizations have long accused the Israeli military justice system of whitewashing wrongdoing and the military of acting with impunity. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed during the six months of war, according to Gazan health officials.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr, Netanyahu, Axios, Netzah Yehuda, Leahy, Yehuda, Omar Abdelmajed Assad, “, Assad’s, Biden, Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Antony J, Blinken, Jacob J, Lew, Gallant, Mick Mulroy, ”, ” Natan Odenheimer, Gabby Sobelman Organizations: West Bank, Biden, Netzah, Jewish, Israel, Pentagon, State Locations: States, Gaza, Israel, Israel’s, Iran, U.S, United States

Democratic senators on Friday called Biden's directive — meant to bring breadth, oversight, deadlines and teeth to efforts to ensure foreign governments don't use U.S. military aid against civilians — historic. “This is a sea-change in terms of how you approach U.S. military aid and its impact on civilians,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. Human rights advocates said the challenge for the new directive would be the same faced by all previous efforts to withhold U.S. weapons and funding from human rights abusers — whether administrations will actually enforce the human rights conditions against strategically important allies and partners. Foreign governments that fail to provide those assurances on time would have their military aid paused. Those “are honored in the breach,” Roth, the human rights expert, said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren, who'd, Maryland Sen, Chris Van Hollen, ”, Kenneth Roth, Antony Blinken, isn't, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Karine Jean, Pierre, “, ” Jean, Pierre said, Leahy, —, ” Roth, it's, ” Van Hollen, — Seung Min Kim Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democrats, Ukraine, Democratic, Capitol, White House, Maryland, Human Rights Watch, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, U.S, Foreign Assistance Locations: Gaza, Israel, Russia, Massachusetts, what's, Ukraine, Israeli, United States, U.S

☆ Group of Democrats call on Blinken to provide answers on bypassing Congress to approve arms sales to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A group of 19 predominantly Democratic lawmakers is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide answers about why he bypassed Congress last month to approve arms sales to Israel. The top US diplomat made two emergency determinations in December to immediately approve the transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment to Israel. In their letter, the lawmakers noted the rarity of administrations using emergency declarations to immediately approve arms sales without congressional approval. “Use of a national emergency waiver does not exempt the U.S. government from assessing whether arms sales are consistent with” those standards, they wrote. I would say that the process that the secretary followed and the process that we follow here at the State Department is the process that the law actually prescribed,” Miller said at a State Department briefing.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Sens, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Peter Welch, James McGovern, Earl Blumenauer, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Raúl, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Betty McCollum, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Jill Tokuda, Maxine Waters, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Leahy, credibly, “ Israel, ”, ’, “, Matt Miller, ” Miller Organizations: CNN, UN, Independent, Democratic, State Department, Leahy, ”, Department Locations: Israel, Gaza, Hamas

☆ West backs Nigeria's war on extremists, and backs off on human rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

“While respect for human rights is unquestionably a high priority, we have many other equities at stake,” McCulley wrote. He said the focus on human rights had sent relations between the two countries into the “lowest ebb” in his three years there. Nigeria’s human rights record wasn’t only a moral issue – it was a legal one. Working under these laws provided “openings to incentivise and institutionalise” human rights protections within the Nigerian military, the State Department said. The pact also noted that London and Abuja had agreed on an “enhanced human rights dialogue” to ensure compliance with international rights standards.

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