Why the U.S. is investigating an ultra-Orthodox Israeli army battalion

Dr. Islam Abu-Zaher was moving nan nighttime displacement astatine Arab Medical Centre successful nan West Bank erstwhile he heard knocking connected nan door. "Doctor, doctor, we request help!" 

Israeli soldiers had arrested respective people, he was told, and 1 of them had died. He grabbed his emergency container and rushed to nan scene, wherever he recovered a acquainted patient: 78-year-old Omar Assad, whom he had treated for cardiac problems successful nan past. 

Dr. Abu-Zaher said he recovered nan aged man look down connected nan ground, bound and blindfolded, showing nary signs of life. After aggregate attempts to resuscitate Assad, nan expert pronounced him dead. 

Assad had been arrested astatine a subject checkpoint that nighttime successful January 2022 by members of nan Israel Defence Forces' Netzah Yehuda Battalion. An IDF investigation of nan incident said that soldiers had tied Assad's hands because he "refused to cooperate."  

"He's an aged man," said Dr. Abu-Zaher. "He's obese. He can't locomotion properly. He has a batch of aesculapian problems. He didn't make immoderate benignant of consequence for soldiers."

Mahmdou Abu Eboud was arrested soon aft Assad, and says he saw IDF soldiers cheque nan man's beat earlier abandoning him connected nan crushed and leaving nan scene. According to nan Israeli military's investigation, soldiers released Assad from each constraints and did not place immoderate signs of distress aliases sick health, explaining "the soldiers assessed that Assad was dormant and did not effort to aftermath him."

After nan soldiers left, Abu Eboud sent for nan doctor.

"The man was sick, he'd had unfastened bosom surgery. On apical of each this it was zero aliases beneath zero that night," Abu Eboud explained. "If you put a [78]-year-old man successful this position … pinch each these wellness issues, and handcuffed, laying connected his thorax and it's cold, what would happen?"

Assad was an American citizen. The U.S. State Department issued a connection astatine nan clip saying it was "deeply concerned" by nan incident. And it is not nan only lawsuit wherever members of nan battalion person faced accusations astir their conduct.

Now, Israeli media reports bespeak that nan U.S. is looking astatine blacklisting nan Netzah Yehuda Battalion nether nan "Leahy Laws," which prohibit providing costs to assistance subject individuals aliases overseas information forces implicated successful gross violations of quality rights.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said connected Friday he had made "determinations" linked to accusations of quality authorities violations by Israel. An announcement by nan U.S. is expected this week. 

The Netzah Yehuda Battalion was created successful 1999 to accommodate ultra-Orthodox Jews and belief nationalists successful nan service by allowing them to service successful a portion wherever they could observe much stringent belief practices. Reuters reports nan battalion chiefly operated successful nan West Bank but was moved retired pursuing U.S. disapproval successful precocious 2022.

Israel's Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, said successful a caller statement that nan battalion has been fighting Hezbollah on Israel's bluish separator pinch Lebanon, and "most recently, they are operating to dismantle Hamas brigades successful Gaza."

Israeli quality authorities groups person agelong complained that Israel seldom holds soldiers to relationship for nan deaths of Palestinians. In Omar Assad's case, an serviceman was reprimanded and 2 others were reassigned, but location was nary criminal prosecution.

Abu Eboud says "this measurement comes excessively late," insisting "the full authorities should beryllium sanctioned, not that unit." 

"The American authorities and nan Israeli authorities are allies," he added. "This is their spoiled child."

In:
• Hamas
• Israel
• Palestinians
• Gaza Strip
• West Bank