Netanyahu condemns a reported U.S. plan to sanction Israeli army unit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a reported U.S. plan to sanction an ultra-Orthodox army battalion over human rights abuses in the West Bank, a move that could fuel tensions over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“At a time when our soldiers are fighting terrorist monsters, the intention to sanction a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low,” Netanyahu wrote on X, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
The U.S. is expected within days to announce the punitive measure, which would be the first time the U.S. sanctions an Israeli army unit, Axios reported on Saturday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter in the U.S. and whom it didn’t identify. The U.S. Embassy in Israel declined to comment.
Blacklisting the Netzah Yehuda Battalion would prohibit it from receiving U.S. military equipment or training. It has been accused of mistreating Palestinians, including in an incident in January 2022 when an elderly U.S.-Palestinian man, Omar Assad, was found dead after his detention by members of the unit in the West Bank.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said he will reveal
“in the days ahead” his determinations on whether specific Israeli military or police units are liable to be sanctioned under the Leahy Law, which bars military assistance to other countries’ security forces that violate human rights.
Netanyahu has clashed repeatedly with President Joe Biden’s administration over its pressure on him to do more to protect civilians and work toward a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. He praised the U.S. House’s passing of a
$26 billion aid bill for Israel on Saturday that includes both support for missile defenses and humanitarian help in
Gaza, saying on X that it shows “strong bipartisan support for Israel.”
Iranian-backed Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, killed 1,200 people and abducted 250 others in an unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7. More than 100 remain captive in the coastal strip.
The Hamas-run health authority says more than 34,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Israel started a devastating offensive aimed at wiping out the militant group after the Oct. 7 attack. International groups warn of the risk of famine among a large part of the territory’s more than 2 million inhabitants because of a lack of aid, which Israel denies.
The U.S. has criticized Israeli plans to attack the southern Gazan city of Rafah, the enclave’s one remaining haven, where more than a million displaced people are crowded. Negotiations on a deal to free the hostages are deadlocked, with Hamas rejecting Israel’s offer of a temporary pause in fighting.
“In the coming days, we will increase the diplomatic and military pressure on Hamas, because this is the only way to free our hostages and achieve victory,” Netanyahu said in a video address ahead of the Passover holiday.