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Israel’s Netzah Yehuda Bataillon infographic
Graphic zeigt die Ereignisse, die zu der Entscheidung des US State Departments geführt haben, dass sie keine Sanktionen über das Netzah Yehuda Bataillon verhängen würden.
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CONFLICT

Israel’s Netzah Yehuda Bataillon entkommt Sanktionen

By Duncan Mil

May 9, 2024 - Washington hat festgestellt, dass Israel die Soldaten und Offiziere im IDF’ Netzah Yehuda Bataillon adäquat bestraft hat – sie wurden der Menschenrechtsverletzung an Palästinensern beschuldigt.

Last week, U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken told Congress that Israel had adequately punished three members of the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion for the death in January 2022 of 78-year-old Omar As’ad -- a Palestinian with American citizenship who had lived in the U.S. for decades.

As’ad died after being detained, handcuffed, blindfolded and later abandoned in near-freezing conditions by Netzah Yehuda troops during a search of the West Bank village of Jiljilya.

At the time, the Department of State called for a “thorough criminal investigation and full accountability;” however, Israel failed to prosecute the soldiers -- only reprimanding a Netzah Yehuda commander and barring two soldiers from senior positions for two years.

Tim Rieser, a longtime aide to former Sen. Patrick Leahy, the chief author of the 1997 Leahy law, said Blinken’s justification was “not consistent with how the law was written and how it was intended to be applied.”

A former State Department official said it was a “mockery” inconsistent with the law.

“That’s an outrage and another example of special treatment for Israel,” said Charles Blaha, the former director of the State Department’s Office of Security and Human Rights.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 09/05/2024; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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