The United States has suspended its decision to impose sanctions on an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) unit following allegations of human rights violations. Last week it emerged that Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to announce penalties against the 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion over alleged crimes committed during their time in the West Bank, but this move has now been put on hold after Israel provided further information about the unit.
The U-turn follows strong opposition from senior figures within both governments and administration officials including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) US ambassador to Israel Jack Lew as well as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who described it as an attack on the entire IDF. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to fight against the move with “all my powers”.
Gallant further stressed that punishing a battalion represented significant harm being dealt onto whole regiment and warned of opening up dangerous doors for this type of action, adding he expected Biden’s administration would reverse its decision. The Israeli Ministry of Defense also stated Gallant had instructed the defence establishment to take all necessary steps in order to make clear to US officials that supporting IDF missions accords with international law requirements during last Friday’s comments, noting sanctions directed towards one battalion could damage the entire army and set a dangerous precedent.
Two Israeli officials told Axios that Israel had been warning for months about such action being taken by Biden’s administration due to its failure to address implications of Leahy Law – which prohibits US military assistance and cooperation with units suspected of human rights abuses- leading to this move becoming highly likely, as they claimed the issue was neglected at senior IDF leadership levels.
The sanctions were suspended after Israel challenged some evidence used against Netzah Yehuda Battalion, particularly a TikTok video from 2021 which showed soldiers mistreating Palestinian civilians before it became clear that these incidents occurred prior to October 7 and in the West Bank unrelated to hostilities with Hamas.
The battalion is made up of ultra-Orthodox Jews whose focus has shifted recently as they accepted far-right youth who were previously rejected from other combat units due to low enlistment rates among this community, however it hasn’t been involved in active military operations during the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Amongst allegations of human rights abuses cited was its involvement in the death of elderly Palestinian American Omar Assad who died after being handcuffed, gagged and forced to lie on his stomach for an extended period. An Israeli investigation followed this incident but decided not pursue criminal charges against any involved parties only reprimanding one commander instead.
The sanctions would have prevented the unit from receiving US military aid or participating in activities funded by America as well as excluding them from joint training exercises with American forces.
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