Abuse of power & retaliationOversight & ethics enforcement
State Department concluded five Israeli units committed gross rights violations but found four had remediated; Leahy recommendations on others reportedly went unactioned
Confidence: Corroborated · 2 sourcesUnited States · Oct 6, 2026
Subject of this story
Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State
Netzah Yehuda Battalion (Israel Defense Forces)
US Department of State
Also named
Oversight
Israel Leahy Vetting Forum (U.S. State Department)
What happened
ProPublica reported in April 2024 that the State Department's Israel Leahy Vetting Forum had recommended in December 2023 that Secretary of State Antony Blinken restrict several Israeli military and police units, and that officials said no action had been taken. On 29 April 2024 the department announced five Israeli units had committed gross violations of human rights, that four had effectively remediated them, and that the fifth, reported to be the Netzah Yehuda battalion, was still under review. The violations pre-dated the Gaza war. Israeli officials publicly opposed any restriction.
Sources (2)
ProPublicaRecommendations to sanction Israeli units from December 2023 have been sitting in his briefcase since then.
The Times of IsraelFour of these units have effectively remediated these violations, which is what we expect partners to do.
Response
Antony Blinken
Not yet contacted
Not yet contacted for this story.
Netzah Yehuda Battalion (Israel Defense Forces)
Not yet contacted
Not yet contacted for this story.
US Department of State
Statement given
Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.