Explained: US plans to sanction Netzah Yehuda, a battalion of the Israeli Defense Forces | News explained

Reuters also reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said he had made “decisions” on the issue and that a decision could be announced.

On April 21, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X that “sanctions should not be imposed on the Israeli army!” and that in recent weeks he had “spoken against the imposition of sanctions on Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with senior U.S. government officials.”

“At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose a sanction on a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low point,” he said. What is the issue about?

What is the likely basis of US sanctions against the Israeli military?

The Axios According to the report, the US is acting on concerns related to alleged human rights abuses by the battalion. The incidents in question reportedly took place in the West Bank before the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year.

One incident in particular was mentioned. In January 2022, 78-year-old Omar Assad, a US-Palestinian citizen, was found dead after Israeli soldiers detained him in the West Bank. The IDF claimed in a public statement that his vehicle had been stopped for inspection and that he was traveling without identification papers. Israel heavily regulates traffic within the region.

Omar was held in a nearby building along with others and released after a few hours. Then it turned out he was dead. The Palestinians said in the autopsy report that he died of a heart attack.

An IDF investigation concluded that the incident was the result of “a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers.”

It also claimed that “there was no use of force during the incident, except when Assad was detained after he refused to cooperate. The soldiers failed to fulfill their obligations by leaving Assad on the ground without the required treatment and without reporting the incident to their commanders.”

However, it was alleged that the IDF soldiers gagged the man and forced him into an uncomfortable position when they interrogated him.

A US State Department statement at the time said it was “deeply concerned” by the circumstances of Assad’s death and expected “a thorough criminal investigation and full accountability in this matter.”

What is the Netzah Yehuda?

According to Reuters, “The Netzah Yehuda Battalion was founded in 1999 to accommodate the religious beliefs of ultra-Orthodox Jews and other religious nationalist recruits in the military.” This includes “giving them time for prayer and study and limiting their interactions with female soldiers.”

It is an all-male unit of the army. In February 2022, the Israeli media organization Haaretz published an account of criticism of the battalion, particularly the human rights violations associated with it over the years. Members of the group have been charged in the past in Israel with torture and sexual assault against Palestinians in separate cases.

Why is the sanction being considered now?

The power to impose the sanctions is believed to derive from the Leahy Laws in the US. They ‘prohibit the provision of military assistance to individuals or security forces who commit gross human rights violations and have not been brought to justice’ Reuters reported. It has been applied to some of the US aid provided to some countries in South America, among others.

On a broader level, the decision may be related to Israel’s ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip. More than 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, with concerns over civilian deaths at the hands of the IDF being raised time and again.

US President Joe Biden has urged restraint from Israel but defended its “right to defend himself.” By largely supporting the actions of its longtime ally – through diplomatic and financial support – the US has come under criticism at home and abroad.

Biden is also walking a tightrope politically, with the US presidential election later this year. Pro-Palestinian protests have become a flashpoint on American college campuses and are seen as at odds with the country’s historic support for Israel.

The attempt to maintain balance is also reflected in how the US Congress voted on April 21 in favor of a bill to provide approximately $26 billion to support Israel and provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. It now goes to the Senate.

Benny Gantz, a far-right Israeli minister, recently spoke to Blinken to ask him to “reconsider the future decision.”