The United States is considering imposing sanctions on one or more Israeli battalions accused of human rights abuses during operations in the occupied West Bank, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday called the possibility of the Biden administration imposing such sanctions “the height of absurdity and low morality” at a time when forces Israeli forces are fighting a war in Gaza against Hamas. Mr. Netanyahu said on social networks parcel that his government would “act with all means” against any such move.
News about possible sanctions, previously reported by Axiosarrived just one day later The House of Representatives approved $26 billion to Israel and humanitarian aid to civilians in conflict areas, including Gaza. Sanctions, if applied, will not hinder the military aid recently approved by Congress.
The possible imposition of sanctions against Netzah Yehuda and other battalions will be carried out according to the so-called 1997 year. Leahy Lawprohibits foreign military units accused of human rights abuses from receiving U.S. aid or training.
It is unclear what the actual impact of the sanctions will be, as funding for specific Israeli units is difficult to track and the battalions in question were not trained by the US. But such a punitive move would clearly be damaging, especially coming from Israel’s closest ally.
Netzah Yehuda, was accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in the past, was established for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men whose strict religious observance required men and women to be kept separate. The battalion also attracted other Orthodox soldiers, including hard-line nationalists from the West Bank settler movement.
One of the most serious incidents is said to have been caused by the Netzah Yehuda battalion death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man who was arrested, gagged and handcuffed by members of the unit during a night raid on his village in January 2022.
ONE autopsy shows the man, Omar Abdelmajed Assad, died of a heart attack due to stress caused by the injuries he suffered while in detention. An investigation by the Israeli military’s judicial system has found flaws in the conduct of the soldiers involved, who the military said “acted in a manner that did not correspond to what required and expected of” Israeli soldiers.
Israeli Army Discipline 3 unit commanders after the investigation. But no criminal charges were brought against the soldiers because, the military said at the time, no causal link had been found between Mr. Assad’s death and failures in his conduct. soldiers.
Human rights groups have long accused the Israeli military justice system of whitewashing wrongdoing and that the army has acted with impunity.
The Biden administration has warned Israel about increasing levels of settler violence against Palestinians and anti-settlement activists in the occupied West Bank, impose financial and travel sanctions ABOVE some and most recently about two grassroots organizations raising funds for some of those individuals.
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet and a former army chief, said imposing sanctions on Israeli military units would set “a dangerous precedent.” dangerous”.
The harsh denunciations came just hours after Israeli officials welcome the Bipartisan vote in Congress to approve billions of dollars in aid to Israel, underscoring the dramatic upheavals and conflicts that have characterized the recent relationship between President Biden and Netanyahu.
However, Mr. Biden criticized Mr. Netanyahu for the deaths of civilians in Gaza come to Israel’s aid in repelling an attack this month from Iran and providing weapons used in the war in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he recently spoke with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and the US ambassador to Israel, Jacob J. Lew.
“Our friends and enemies are closely watching the relationship between Israel and the United States, now more than ever,” Mr. Gallant said in a statement Monday. “I call on the US government to withdraw its intention to impose sanctions on the Netzach Yehuda battalion.”
Mr. Biden has faced months of criticism and anger — even from some members of his own party — for supporting Israel’s war in Gaza as the death toll there rose, and any Imposing any sanctions on an Israeli entity can be seen as a kind of counterweight. According to Gaza health officials, more than 34,000 Palestinians have died in six months of war.
Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer and senior Pentagon official, said it was unusual to impose such sanctions on a close ally like Israel, so “it should send send a message”.
Cob Blaha, head of the State Department’s democracy and human rights office, said he hoped any decision to impose sanctions “will provide an incentive for Israel to increase accountability.”
Nathan Odenheimer And Gabby Sobelman Report contributions.
