US-Israel: Netanyahu vows to reject any US sanctions on army units
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has firmly stated his opposition to any sanctions imposed on the country’s military, following reports that the US intends to reduce aid to a specific unit.
“I will vehemently oppose it,” declared the prime minister on Sunday.
Earlier, Axios reported that the US would target Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion due to alleged human rights violations in the occupied West Bank.
According to sources, any such action would fall under a US prohibition on aid to foreign units with credible implications in violations.
When questioned last week about potential cuts to US military aid to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units over allegations of human rights abuses in the occupied West Bank, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “I’ve made determinations; you can expect to see them in the days ahead.”
The Israeli military affirmed that Netzah Yehuda was operating in compliance with international law.
“In response to reports of sanctions against the battalion, the IDF is unaware of any such matter,” stated the military, as reported by Reuters. “The IDF diligently investigates any irregular incidents in a practical and lawful manner.”
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant urged the US to retract its plan to sanction Netzah Yehuda, emphasizing that global scrutiny on US-Israel relations was particularly heightened.
“Criticizing an entire unit casts a shadow over the IDF’s actions,” read a statement from Mr. Gallant, asserting, “this is not the appropriate approach for partners and allies.”
Axios, citing three US sources familiar with the issue, reported on Saturday that Mr. Blinken was anticipated to announce measures against Netzah Yehuda imminently.
The expected move is in response to alleged abuses in the West Bank, including an incident involving the death of 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad in January 2022, who was reportedly bound and gagged by Israeli soldiers during a search operation.
At the time, the US called for a thorough investigation and accountability in Assad’s case.
The IDF later expressed regret over Assad’s death and announced disciplinary action against the Netzah Yehuda commander, with two soldiers being barred from senior positions for two years.
However, no prosecution was pursued, with Assad’s death attributed to a pre-existing medical condition.
Assad’s family, many of whom reside in the US, criticized the decision to close the case.
All reported violations occurred prior to the Hamas attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7.
Any decision to withhold US military assistance from an IDF unit would be made under the “Leahy Law,” initiated by then-Senator Patrick Leahy in 1997. The law prohibits US funding or training for foreign military units credibly implicated in severe human rights violations.
Last year, a group of US officials, known as the “Israel-Leahy vetting forum,” examined numerous allegations against Israeli units, including the Netzah Yehuda battalion, according to a former senior US official.
“We believed that in most cases, these were un-remediated – in other words, the perpetrators had not been properly held to account,” said Josh Paul, former director of the state department’s Political-Military Affairs bureau, which oversees US arms transfers.
“When we tried to advance these recommendations to the secretary [of state] we were never able to get them through the political level,” he added.
Mr Paul resigned from his position in November in protest at what he saw as a lack of accountability over weapons transfers to Israel. Asked whether the recommendations he mentioned had since reached Mr Blinken’s desk, he cited the recent media reports suggesting they had.
Formed in 1999, Netzah Yehuda is a special men-only unit where ultra-Orthodox Jews serve.
Earlier this week, the state department imposed sanctions on Israeli far-right activist Ben Zion Gopstein. It said his organisation, Lehava, had “engaged in destabilising violence affecting the West Bank”.
