US to sanction IDF unit for human rights violations against Palestinians, Netanyahu reacts

According to Axios, the Biden administration may announce sanctions against the IDF's Netzah Yehuda battalion for alleged human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank for the first time.

The IDF's Netzah Yehuda group has previously been at the heart of various controversies involving right-wing extremism and violence against Palestinians.

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The battalion was relocated out of the West Bank in December 2022, however, Israel denied this was due to their conduct, and it has since operated mostly in the country's north. It has been deployed to the Gaza Strip as part of the ongoing conflict against Hamas.

According to sources, sanctions would prohibit the supply of US weaponry to the primarily ultra-Orthodox infantry unit, as well as block its men from training with US forces or participating in any activity funded by the US under the Leahy Laws.

Here's how Israeli officials and the prime minister reacted to the news:

"Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces! In recent weeks, I have been working against the imposition of sanctions on Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with senior American 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. The government headed by me will act by all means against these moves," PM Netanyahu wrote.

Defence minister Benny Gantz also took to X to voice his opinion on the matter, and wrote, "The Netzah Yehuda Battalion is an integral part of the IDF. It is subject to military law, and it operates by international law."

The State of Israel has a strong and independent judicial system, which knows how to investigate and examine any violation of the law or deviation from IDF orders, and so we will do. I have great respect for our American friends, but imposing sanctions on the unit is a dangerous precedent, and also sends the wrong message to our common enemies in a time of war. I will work so that this decision does not pass."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, "A decision to impose American sanctions on the IDF while Israel is fighting for its existence is absolute madness. We warned that the Biden administration's sanctions against the settlers will continue for the IDF and the entire State of Israel. This is part of a planned move to force the State of Israel to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state and abandon Israel's security."