2024-04-26 18:26:53
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held telephone conversations with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz.
As Day.Az reports with reference to Interfax, this was reported by the US State Department.
According to the State Department, Blinken and Gallant “discussed efforts to ensure Israeli security and negotiate the release of hostages, secure an immediate ceasefire and increase the flow of humanitarian assistance needed to save the lives of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
In his call with Gantz, the US Secretary of State also discussed “measures to increase humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the need for an immediate ceasefire” and “additional steps to minimize harm to civilians.”
Meanwhile, The Times of Israel reports that war cabinet member Benny Gantz asked Blinken not to impose sanctions on the battalion. Gantz said that this would damage Israel’s international legitimacy in its actions against Hamas, and also noted that the United States has no basis for such an act.
At the same time, the Axios portal reported, citing informed sources, that Galant held an urgent meeting on Sunday with senior IDF officials on this issue.
“Galant has directed the Defense Department to work at all levels to educate the U.S. Government on the importance of supporting IDF operations that are conducted in accordance with international law,” the Defense Department said in a statement.
“Detriment to one battalion damages the entire IDF – this is not the way to behave with partners and friends,” Galant said in a statement.
The portal’s source emphasized that Galant wants to try to resolve this issue during private negotiations with the Biden administration.
It was previously reported that the United States is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against some units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which, according to Washington, have violated human rights against the Palestinians.
In particular, the Axios portal reported, citing sources, that the Netzach Yehuda battalion, consisting of Orthodox religious Jews, would fall under US sanctions in the coming days.
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