Current Events > Sec. Of State sitting on recommendations to sanction Israeli units for rape

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.propublica.org/article/israel-gaza-blinken-leahy-sanctions-human-rights-violations

A special State Department panel recommended months ago that Secretary of State Antony Blinken disqualify multiple Israeli military and police units from receiving U.S. aid after reviewing allegations that they committed serious human rights abuses.

But Blinken has failed to act on the proposal in the face of growing international criticism of the Israeli militarys conduct in Gaza, according to current and former State Department officials.

The incidents under review mostly took place in the West Bank and occurred before Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel. They include reports of extrajudicial killings by the Israeli Border Police; an incident in which a battalion gagged, handcuffed and left an elderly Palestinian American man for dead; and an allegation that interrogators tortured and raped a teenager who had been accused of throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails.

Recommendations for action against Israeli units were sent to Blinken in December, according to one person familiar with the memo. Theyve been sitting in his briefcase since then, another official said.

A State Department spokesperson told ProPublica the agency takes its commitment to uphold U.S. human rights laws seriously. This process is one that demands a careful and full review, the spokesperson said, and the department undergoes a fact-specific investigation applying the same standards and procedures regardless of the country in question.

The revelations about Blinkens failure to act on the recommendations come at a delicate moment in U.S.-Israel relations. Six months into its war against Hamas, whose militants massacred 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 240 more on Oct. 7, the Israeli military has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to local authorities. Recently, President Joe Biden has signaled increased frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the widespread civilian casualties.

Multiple State Department officials who have worked on Israeli relations said that Blinkens inaction has undermined Bidens public criticism, sending a message to the Israelis that the administration was not willing to take serious steps.

The recommendations came from a special committee of State Department officials known as the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum. The panel, made up of Middle East and human rights experts, is named for former Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chief author of 1997 laws that requires the U.S. to cut off assistance to any foreign military or law enforcement units from battalions of soldiers to police stations that are credibly accused of flagrant human rights violations.

The Guardian reported this year that the State Department was reviewing several of the incidents but had not imposed sanctions because the U.S. government treats Israel with unusual deference. Officials told ProPublica that the panel ultimately recommended that the secretary of state take action.

This story is drawn from interviews with present and former State Department officials as well as government documents and emails obtained by ProPublica. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations.

Bump

"President Biden is committed to a foreign policy that unites our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership, and one that is centered on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights." - Antony Blinken, 2021

No we leave that for the Trump supporters who want to "catfish" us into thinking they are "moderates".

Zoks posted...

how Trump would be so much worse

No matter how fucked up Biden's policies with Israel have been, Trump being worse is just a fact.

ItsNotA2Mer posted...

No matter how fucked up Biden's policies with Israel has been, Trump being worse is just a fact.

Trump's last public statement on the matter is the exact same stance Biden has: Israel needs to hurry up and finish up, because it looks bad. Voters who are upset about the Biden's administration every effort to not punish Israel for blatant war crimes will feel their votes do not matter and will lose the motivation to vote for Biden. It doesn't matter who hypothetically is worse, people will vote based off the results they see now. You already know how gas prices can have an impact on the election, why would this not?

Why aren't house Republicans impeaching him over this?

The mayorkas impeachment was absolute bullshit

ItsNotA2Mer posted...

No matter how fucked up Biden's policies with Israel have been, Trump being worse is just a fact.

This. That being said, this kind of shit absolutely needs to be talked about.

Zoks posted...

Voters who are upset about the Biden's administration every effort to not punish Israel for blatant war crimes will feel their votes do not matter and will lose the motivation to vote for Biden.

That assumes the only thing voters care about is Israel. I'm unhappy with Biden's policies on Israel, but I'll still be voting since I also actually care about what happens here.

Zoks posted...

It doesn't matter who hypothetically is worse

It's not hypothetical, Trump was demonstrably worse, (and of course it matters).

? Secretary of State has this authority?

It has been done but most Cabinet members ask permission first.

This feels like an odd question to ask, but which way does this board skew involving Israel and Middle Eastern Muslim countries? Im not looking to start anything, I just genuinely want to know, because it seems to be a very divisive issue and its not always following a predictable course (that I can see at least).

BDSMKane posted...

This feels like an odd question to ask, but which way does this board skew involving Israel and Middle Eastern Muslim countries? Im not looking to start anything, I just genuinely want to know, because it seems to be a very divisive issue and its not always following a predictable course (that I can see at least).

Most seems to understand that it is a complex situation, that it is possible to separate Israel and Jews, and that Israel have filled their Oct 7 revenge quota many times over.
That said, we have had some Israel shills that seems to justify everything Israel does.

Foppe posted...

Most seems to understand that it is a complex situation, that it is possible to separate Israel and Jews, and that Israel have filled their Oct 7 revenge quota many times over.
That said, we have had some Israel shills that seems to justify everything Israel does.

Thank you for the detailed response.

An elderly woman I help out and drive around has her only surviving son in Israel, so everything I get from her is very one sided, and I have avoided the news for so long all I know is what I hear from others. Thankfully, Im a cynic and a skeptic, so I also take everything I hear with a grain of salt.

I wish I could forget everything related to this conflict, it would make me happier.

Still voting for Not Trump without hesitation

Fuck this stupid country

Wikipedia says hes jewish. Although tbf, the response wouldve been the same from anybody else seating on that position.