Israeli leaders have lashed out at reports that the U.S. State Department plans to impose sanctions on at least one Israeli army over alleged human rights abuses in the occupied West Bank, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a “ridiculousness” ” thoughts will be tried hard to avoid.
Just hours after Israeli officials issued a blistering condemnation welcome A bipartisan vote Congressional approval of billions of dollars in aid to Israel underscores the volatility and conflict in the recent relationship between President Biden and Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Biden has both condemned and criticized Mr. Netanyahu over the deaths of civilians in Gaza. come to the aid of israel repelling attacks from Iran this month.
However, any US sanctions against the Israeli military – which the Axios news website reports will be announced in the coming days – would be unprecedented.
Netanyahu said sanctions against the Israeli military at a time when it is fighting Hamas in Gaza would be the “peak of absurdity and the nadir of morality.” The United States and many other countries designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Conservative Mr Netanyahu added on social media postal His government would “use all means” to oppose any such move, he said late Saturday. axios says Focus will be on Netzah Yehuda Camp.
The camp has accused of a crime The violence against Palestinians is reserved for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, whose strict religious observances require complete gender segregation. It has also attracted other Orthodox soldiers, including hardline nationalists from the settler movement in the West Bank.
Politicians within the Israeli government and the parliamentary opposition have also expressed concerns about any possible sanctions against the military. Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet and a former military adviser, said this would set “a dangerous precedent.”
“Netzah Yehuda Battalion is an integral part of the Israel Defense Forces. It is governed by military law and has a responsibility to fully comply with international law,” he added in the post Saturday night.
The Israeli military said it was not familiar with plans to impose sanctions on the battalion but that if such a decision were made, the consequences would be “under review.” in a statementThe statement added that the Neza Yehuda Battalion is currently participating in the war in Gaza “courageously and professionally” while upholding military values and the principles of international law.
The Biden administration has been warning Israel as settler violence against Palestinians and anti-settlement activists continues to rise in the occupied West Bank. Imposition of financial and travel sanctions exist Several people Recently, two grassroots organizations raised funds for some of them.
U.S. sanctions on Israeli forces may be seen as a counterweight after months of criticism and anger, even from within his own party, for President Biden’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza as the death toll there continues to climb . According to Gaza health officials, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the six months of war.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken was asked about ProPublica on Friday Report A U.S. State Department panel recommended disqualifying several Israeli military and police forces from receiving U.S. aid after allegations of human rights abuses, saying such investigations take time but that results would be available “soon.”
“I’ve made up my mind; you can expect to see them in the coming days,” he added.
Then on Saturday, Axios report Netzah Yehuda Battalion to face so-called 1997 sanctions Lexi Law Bans foreign military units accused of human rights abuses from receiving U.S. assistance or training. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The New York Times.
It’s unclear what impact any sanctions on the unit would have because it’s difficult to track funding for specific Israeli units and the battalion does not receive U.S. training.
One of the most shocking incidents at Camp Netzah Yehuda involved die A 78-year-old Palestinian-American man was detained, gagged and handcuffed by members of the force during a nighttime raid on his village in January 2022.
one autopsy The man, Omar Abdelmajed Assad, died from stress heart disease caused by injuries sustained while in custody, according to the information. An investigation by Israel’s military justice system found errors in the behavior of the soldiers involved, with the military saying they “acted in a manner inconsistent with the requirements and expectations of Israeli soldiers.”
israeli military Disciplinary action against three unit commanders After investigation. But the military said at the time that no criminal charges were filed against the soldiers because it found no causal link between the soldiers’ misconduct and Assad’s death.
Adam Rasgon, Nathan Odenheimer and Gabby Sobelman Contributed reporting.
