UPDATE - Blinken says US does not have 'double standards' on Israel's reported rights violations

ADDS BACKGROUND, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Iclal Turan​​​​​​​

WASHINGTON (AA) - Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday the US does not have double standards when it comes to Israel and human rights violations, and it applies the "same standard" to other nations.

Asked if the US has double standard regarding its approach to Israeli military’s reported human rights violation, during his press briefing on the release of 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights, Blinken said: "The answer is no."

"As this report makes clear, as we're looking at human rights and the condition of human rights around the world, we apply the same standard to everyone, and that doesn’t change whether the country in question is an adversary, competitor, a friend or an ally," he added.

The American diplomat also confirmed "ongoing efforts" to investigate allegations of human rights violations by Tel Aviv.

Regarding the reports that Israel violated the Leahy laws, Blinken said it is a "good example of a process that is very deliberate, that seeks to get the facts to get all the information that has to be done carefully.

"I think you'll see in the days ahead that we will have more to say, so please stay tuned on that," he added.

The Leahy Law, named after former Senator Patrick Leahy, requires the US to withhold military assistance from foreign military or law enforcement units if there is credible evidence of human rights violations.

Axios news site reported on Saturday that the US is preparing to impose sanctions on the Israeli military's NetzahYehuda battalion over human rights violations committed by the combat unit against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, and resulted in severe humanitarian crisis, "had a significant negative impact on the human rights situation in the country," according to the State Department's annual report.

"The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues to raise deeply troubling concerns for human rights," the report said.

Noting that Hamas’ on Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed around 1,200 people, took approximately 230 hostages, and included abuses and sexual violence, the report said the US has "pressed concerns about Palestinian civilians’ access to humanitarian assistance, displacement of the majority of the population of Gaza, and the unprecedented number of journalists killed."

"We have repeatedly condemned Hamas’ abhorrent misuse of civilians and civilian infrastructure as human shields and its continued refusal to release all hostages. We also continue to condemn the record levels of violence in the West Bank, including attacks by violent extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians," the report said.