Israeli panic as US plans sanctions against IDF battalion

Published 22 April 2024 at 11.25

Foreign. The White House will reportedly soon announce sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, a notorious unit within the Israeli Defense Forces. It would be the first time that the United States does something like this, writes the Times of Israel.

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The Netzah Yehuda battalion consists largely of ultra-Orthodox Jews and has been accused of various atrocities in the West Bank.

One notable case concerns Omar As'ad, a 78-year-old Palestinian with American citizenship who was killed in 2022. He was imprisoned, handcuffed and blindfolded and then left to die by soldiers from the battalion, in near-freezing temperatures.

The controversial battalion was moved from the West Bank in December 2022 – although Israel denied having anything to do with the soldiers' behavior – and has since served mostly in the country's north. The unit has also operated in the Gaza Strip during the ongoing war against Hamas.

The information about planned sanctions has created an uproar among Israeli politicians.

“The IDF must not be sanctioned!” writes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself on X and continues:

“In recent weeks, I have been working against the sanctions of Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with the US administration. At a time when our soldiers are fighting terrorist monsters, the intention to impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low water mark. “

War Minister Benny Gantz has joined the critics, stating that the Netzah Yehuda Battalion is “an integral part of the IDF” and bound by international law. He added that Israel has “strong and independent” courts that can deal with alleged violations.

– We have great respect for our American friends, but imposing sanctions on the entity sets a dangerous precedent and sends the wrong message to our common enemies in wartime, Gantz said, vowing to “take measures so that this decision does not pass”.

The expressions of surprise and anger in Israel came shortly after the country's leaders expressed deep gratitude to the United States after the House of Representatives adopted a large military aid package for the Jewish state.

According to Axios sources, the sanctions are intended to prevent the transfer of American weapons to the entity. The battalion's soldiers are also not allowed to participate in training with American forces or in any other activity funded by the United States.