Reports say US government to sanction Israeli battalion
Netanyahu to fight it, vows to strike Hamas with attacks
Some Israeli leaders are lashing out at reported plans by the Biden administration to sanction an ultra-Orthodox Israeli combat unit that for years has faced claims of abuse against Palestinians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the intention to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion as “the height of absurdity and a moral nadir.”
“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a (military) unit, I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Axios and the Israeli media outlet Haaretz reported the battalion could be banned from receiving U.S. military assistance or training. The battalion, among other issues, was linked in the death of an 80-year-old PalestinianAmerican in 2022.
Haaretz said the Biden administration is considering sanctions against other military and police units in Israel.
War Cabinet minister Benny Gantz asked U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reconsider the reported plan, saying sanctions are a dangerous precedent that “sends the wrong message to our common enemies in a time of war.” The State Department, which has been investigating human rights violation claims against the battalion and other Israeli units for more than a year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said sanctions while Israel is fighting for its existence would be “absolute madness.”
“This is part of a planned move to force the State of Israel to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state and abandon Israel’s security,” Smotrich said.
But Israeli Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli dismissed the government’s outrage as “yet another dose of denial and smearing, lies
and covering up the bitter reality.” Michaeli described the battalion as a “regiment of ‘hill boys’ and just those who see religion as an excuse to attack Arabs.”
Netanyahu pledges to hit Hamas with ‘additional painful blows’
Netanyahu addressed the Israeli nation Sunday, urging Israelis to remember their fallen heroes and wounded fighters on the eve of Passover and vowing to soon strike Hamas with “additional painful blows.”
Netanyahu said force is the only way to pressure Hamas to release more than 100 hostages Israel believes are still held by militants. The suffering of the hostages and their families “rends our heart and only strengthens our
resolve to bring them back,” he said.
“In the coming days, we will increase the military and diplomatic pressure on Hamas,” he said. “This is the only way to free our hostages and achieve our victory.”
Hamas-led gunmen seized 253 people during the Oct. 7 attack that killed around 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. Some hostages were freed in a November truce, but efforts to secure another deal appear to have stalled. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
Israel’s chief of staff, Major General Herzi Halevi, on Sunday approved undisclosed plans for the continuation of the war in Gaza at the Southern Command, which includes Rafah.