Israeli soldiers of the Jewish Ultra-Orthodox battalion Netzah Yehuda
Apr 21,
2024. Posted by Periscope - Hellas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after media reports said Washington was planning such a step.
Axios news
site on Saturday reported that Washington was planning to impose sanctions on
Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has operated in the occupied West Bank,
though the Israeli military said it was not aware of any such measures.
On Friday,
the United States announced a new series of sanctions linked to Israeli
settlers in the West Bank, in the latest sign of growing US frustration with
the policies of Netanyahu, whose coalition government relies on settler
parties.
“If anyone
thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) -
I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
The State
Department declined comment beyond remarks made on Friday by US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken. Blinken said he had made “determinations” regarding
accusations that Israel violated a set of US laws that prohibit providing
military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross
violations of human rights.
Earlier
this week, the Pro Publica investigative news organization reported that a
special State Department panel known as the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum had
recommended months ago to Blinken that multiple Israeli military and police
units be disqualified from receiving US aid, after allegations of human rights
violations.
On the rise
The
incidents that were the subject of allegations took place in the West Bank and
mostly occurred before Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, the
outlet said.
Before the
Gaza war, violence had already been on the rise in the West Bank, land that the
Palestinians seek for a state, and it has risen since with frequent Israeli
raids, Palestinian street attacks and settler rampages in Palestinian villages.
The Israeli
military said the Netzah Yehuda battalion is an active combat unit that
operates according to the principles of international law.
“Following
publications about sanctions against the battalion, the IDF is not aware of the
issue,” the military said. “If a decision is made on the matter it will be
reviewed. The IDF works and will continue to work to investigate any unusual
event in a practical manner and according to law.”
In 2022,
Netzah Yehuda’s battalion commander was reprimanded and two officers were
dismissed over the death of an elderly Palestinian-American whom the unit’s
soldiers had detained in the West Bank, an incident that stirred concern in
Washington.
There have
been several other incidents in recent years, some captured on video, in which
Netzah Yehuda soldiers were accused of or charged with abusing Palestinian
detainees.
Al Arabiya
News