The United States has determined that alleged human rights violations by an Israeli Defense Force unit have been "effectively remediated" after reviewing new information provided by Israel, the State Department said on Friday.
Following the determination, spokesperson Matthew Miller said in an email that the unit involved, the Netzah Yehuda battalion, can continue to receive US security assistance.
The US had called for a criminal investigation after battalion soldiers were accused of being involved in the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man.
Before receiving new information in April, Washington was reportedly intending to designate the unit under a US law that prohibits military assistance to those committing gross human rights violations.
Axios reported, citing two senior US and Israeli officials, that Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of the change in a conversation on Friday.
Israeli media had previously reported that Washington would impose sanctions on the battalion over its treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israel outraged by the plans
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the United States in April for its plans to issue its first-ever sanctions against IDF units over alleged human rights violations, starting with the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which in the past has been accused of mistreating Palestinians.
“I will fight this with all my powers,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli public in a video address.
Netanyahu wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the US's initial plan to sanction the unit was “the height of absurdity and a moral low. In recent weeks, I have been working against the leveling of sanctions on Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with senior American government officials.”
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.