On June 3, 2021, in Washington, DC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will have a meeting with Israel's minister of defense.
The Israeli government called on the Biden administration to rethink its decision to sanction the Israel Defense Force's battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. The Secretary of State is expected to soon announce sanctions against the "Netzah Yehuda", which would ban them from receiving any kind of U.S. military assistance or training. The 1997 law was authored by Patrick Leahy, who was a senator at the time. The incidents that took place in the West Bank are what led to the determination of the Netzah Yehuda unit. Israeli officials say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, members of his war cabinet and senior IDF leadership were surprised by the reporting about the expected sanctions. An Israeli official said that at a war cabinet meeting on Sunday night, Netanyahu and other ministers and senior IDF officials admitted they don't have a full picture of how the decision was made. An aide to the Israeli Minister of Defense said that he held an urgent meeting with senior IDF officials on Sunday. The ministry of defense said thatGallant directed the defense establishment to act at all levels in order to make clear to the U.S. government the importance of backing up IDF operations. Gallant said that he expected the Biden administration to change its decision and that it was not the way to behave. Gallant spoke with the U.S. on Sunday and wants to try to find a solution in private talks with the Biden administration. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew. The Israeli foreign ministry and the Israeli embassy in Washington have been warning the IDF, the ministry of defense and the prime minister's office for months that such a scenario is possible. The issue was neglected by the senior IDF leadership and politicians. "All the alarms have been going off, but people said it will be okay," the official said. The Israeli war cabinet member asked the Secretary of State to reconsider the expected sanctions decision after speaking with him on Sunday. The decision will hurt Israel's legitimacy at a time when it's needed the most, and it's not justified because Israel has a strong and independent judicial system and all the units are subject to orders that are in line with international law. The State Department spokesman said that the call focused on the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza and recent tensions with Iran and Lebanon. Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday that he will defend the soldiers of the IDF.