Netanyahu vows to 'fight' expected unprecedented US sanctions on IDF unit for human rights abuses
For the first time, the US may sanction a unit of soldiers in the Israeli military.
The decision, expected as soon as Monday, would further strain relations between the two allies, which have grown increasingly tense during Israel’s war in Gaza.
Israeli leaders harshly criticised the expected decision by Washington to sanction an ultra-Orthodox IDF unit on Sunday.
“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit in the IDF, I will fight it with all my might,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Who are the military unit expected to face sanction?
US officials have not confirmed which unit may be sanctioned, but Israeli leaders and local media identified it as Netzah Yehuda.
It is an infantry battalion founded around 25 years ago to incorporate ultra-Orthodox men into the military, as many religious men receive exemptions from compulsory service.
Netzah Yehuda, or Judea Forever, has made up a small part of Israel’s military presence in the occupied West Bank.
Some of its members have been linked to abuses against Palestinians - the unit came under heavy American criticism in 2022 after an elderly Palestinian-American man was found dead shortly after he was detained at a West Bank checkpoint.
A Palestinian autopsy said Omar Assad, 78, had underlying health conditions, but had suffered a heart attack caused by “external violence.”
Human rights groups long have argued that Israel rarely holds soldiers accountable for the deaths of Palestinians.
Israel moved Netzah Yehuda out of the West Bank in late 2022 and reassigned it to northern Israel, before it was moved to Gaza's southern border after Hamas’ October 7 attack.
In a statement on Sunday, the IDF said its Netzah Yehuda soldiers “are currently participating in the war effort in the Gaza Strip.”
“The battalion is professionally and bravely conducting operations in accordance to the IDF Code of Ethics and with full commitment to international law,” it said.
It said that if the unit is sanctioned, “its consequences will be reviewed”.
What are the sanctions?
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he made a decision on reviews of allegations that several Israeli military units had violated conditions for receiving US assistance.
Mr Blinken said these are outlined in the so-called Leahy Law - which bars US aid from going to foreign military units which committed human rights abuses - and will soon be made public.
Washington officials said about five Israeli units were investigated and all but one had been found to have taken action to remedy the violations.
The US review was launched before the Hamas war and is not connected to recent Israeli actions inside Gaza or the West Bank, which has experienced a dramatic spike in deadly violence since the Gaza war erupted.
Since the fighting began, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health officials, at least two-thirds of them were children and women.
Washington has also recently imposed sanctions against violent settlers.
Palestinians have carried out periodic attacks on Israeli cities and towns since the country’s war against Hamas began.
On Monday, Israeli police arrested two people after a car collided with pedestrians in Jerusalem, leaving three people with minor injuries.
CCTV footage published by Israeli media showed a car crashing into three people who appeared to be ultra-Orthodox Jews.
The identities of those arrested have not been shared by police.
Have this style of sanctions been imposed before?
If the US does impose sanctions on Israel they will be the first of their kind.
However, the country has already faced criticism for its actions in Gaza and failings over the October 7 attacks,
On Monday the head of Israeli military intelligence resigned, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel's history.
“The intelligence directorate under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with. I carry that black day with me ever since, day after day, night after night. I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever,” Major General Aharon Haliva wrote in his resignation letter, which was provided by the military.
Shortly after the attack, Haliva had publicly said that he shouldered blame for not preventing the assault.
He, as well as other military and security leaders, were widely expected to resign in response to the failures that led up to Oct. 7 and the scale of its ferocity.
The UK has placed sanctions on four Hamas leaders and two of its financiers in a bid to restrict the militant group.
Israeli officials criticise possible sanctions
Gadi Shamni, a retired general who once served as the military’s commander over the West Bank, said the exposure to non-stop friction and violence had caused a level of “tiredness” among the troops.
Nonetheless, he said it was a stereotype to punish the entire unit and it would have been better to target specific individuals or commanders.
But Ori Givati, the director of advocacy at Breaking the Silence, an Israeli group of former combat soldiers critical of Israel’s occupation, said the problems run much deeper than any particular unit.
He said abuses of power by soldiers toward Palestinians are systematic and the lack of repercussions for wrongdoings are fueling incidents like the death of Mr Assad.
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