The U.S. is reportedly considering imposing sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, an Israeli Defense Force unit linked to human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to fight the sanctions, along with other members of the Knesset who have criticized the move. The possible sanctions come shortly after the U.S. approved a $26 billion aid package for the Israeli military.
The State Department is expected to impose restrictions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion using the Leahy Laws, which ban foreign military units from receiving U.S. aid if they have committed gross violations of human rights. The decision to impose sanctions was made after a State Department committee determined that the battalion had violated international human rights law.
War Cabinet member Benny Gantz and opposition leader Yair Lapid have both spoken out against the proposed sanctions, with Gantz defending Netzah Yehuda as being in compliance with international law. Lapid, on the other hand, placed blame for settler violence on two far-right Israeli cabinet members. Netanyahu has also condemned the intention to sanction an IDF unit, calling it absurd and morally wrong.
The Netzah Yehuda Battalion is a unit primarily composed of ultra-orthodox male soldiers that has been linked to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, including the killing of 78-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad in 2022. The battalion was relocated from the West Bank to the Golan Heights in 2022. The State Department is also considering enforcing the Leahy Laws on other Israeli military and police units, according to reports.
Last week, the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum recommended the use of the Leahy Laws to prevent multiple Israeli military units and police forces from receiving U.S. military aid. Investigations into incidents involving these units took place before the outbreak of conflict with Hamas in Gaza in 2022. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has indicated that determinations regarding sanctions have been made and could be issued as early as Monday.
Despite the potential sanctions against Israeli military units, the House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package for Israel, alongside a separate bill providing aid to Ukraine. The international community will be closely watching how the U.S. proceeds with sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda Battalion and potentially other Israeli military and police units, as tensions continue to rise over human rights violations in the region.
