US Muslim group demands Blinken's resignation over Israeli army unit's impunity

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) has called for the resignation of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accusing him of violating US law by reversing plans to sanction Israel's Netzah Yehuda battalion over allegations of human rights abuses.

“The Israeli military unit has clearly committed gross human rights violations using US weapons,” said Cair deputy director Edward Ahmed Mitchell in a statement. He condemned Blinken’s decision, calling it “cowardly, morally reprehensible, and blatantly illegal”, and accused Blinken of ignoring the conclusions of career diplomats and legal experts.

Mitchell went on to say, “Secretary Blinken is now as much of a war criminal as the war criminal he will continue to arm, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant, and he should resign his office in disgrace.”

Earlier reports indicated that the State Department had decided to continue providing US security assistance to Netzah Yehuda, based on information from Israel suggesting that alleged violations by the unit had been “effectively remediated".