Israeli Political Echelon United in Condemnation of Planned U.S. Sanctions

i24 News – With the report that the U.S. State Department is planning to issue sanctions against an IDF unit, politicians across the political spectrum have come out aghast that its biggest ally would take such a dramatic step amid the ongoing war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, and centrist war cabinet minister Benny Gantz all issued statements condemning the move and promising to take action to prevent it. The IDF has also issued a response to the sanctions, defending the Netzah Yehuda Battalion’s achievements in defending the security of The State of Israel.

In the statement, the IDF says it does “not recognize” the matter of this sanction and will continue to internally investigate any “unusual event in a matter-of-fact manner and in accordance with the law.”

In his response on X, Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote, “The IDF must not be sanctioned!”

אסור להטיל סנקציות על צבא ההגנה לישראל!
**
אני פועל בשבועות האחרונים נגד הטלת סנקציות על אזרחים ישראלים, כולל בשיחות שלי עם בכירי הממשל האמריקני.

בשעה שחיילינו נלחמים במפלצות הטרור, הכוונה להטיל סנקציה על יחידה בצה״ל זה שיא האבסורד ושפל ערכי.

הממשלה בראשותי תפעל בכל האמצעים…

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) April 20, 2024

“At a time when our soldiers are fighting terrorist monsters, the intention to issue sanctions against a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low,” he added, saying he had been in talks with administration officials to block the move.

For his part, former IDF chief and ex-defense minister Benny Gantz called the Netzah Yehuda battalion “an integral part of the IDF.” He wrote on X, “We have great respect for our American friends, but imposing sanctions on the unit is a dangerous precedent and sends the wrong message to our shared enemies at a time of war.” Gantz also promised to take action to prevent the sanctions.

Lapid, called the sanctions a “mistake,” saying it would cause “serious injury to Israel’s status as a state of law and another serious erosion of our international status.” He pointed the blame at Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for fueling settler extremism and not wanting the police to enforce the law on Israelis in the West Bank. On Friday, the U.S. issued another round of sanctions targeting extremist settlers involved in violent incidents with Palestinians. However, according to a report by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, the incident reportedly driving the American decision took place during Lapid’s short term as interim prime minister.

הסנקציות האמריקאיות על גדוד נצח יהודה הן שגיאה ועלינו לפעול כדי לבטלן.

מקור הבעיה אינו בדרג הצבאי אלא בדרג המדיני. העולם מבין ויודע שהשר בן גביר אינו מעוניין שהמשטרה תאכוף את החוק באיו״ש והשר סמוטריץ׳ לא מתנגד לטרור היהודי ולהתפרעויות המתנחלים הקיצונים.
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— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) April 21, 2024

National Security Minister Ben-Gvir asked the Prime Minister on Sunday to urgently convene the security cabinet to discuss the planned measures. Earlier, Ben-Gvir railed against the United States in a post on X, writing that sanctions against IDF soldiers were a “red line,” and promised to absorb the unit into the police under his ministry if they passed.

According a report on Saturday from the Axios news site, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will soon announce the unprecedented move against an IDF unit. The Netzah Yehuda battalion, a largely ultra-Orthodox infantry unit, has been accused of violence against Palestinians on several occasions. The incident reportedly leading to the State Department’s decision occurred in 2022, when an elderly Palestinian-American man died after being detained, handcuffed, and was abandoned in a field in freezing conditions.

According to Israel’s public broadcasting radio station Kan Reshet Bet, U.S. officials had requested materials several times from the military prosecutor’s office, the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry on investigations into attacks on Palestinians involving soldiers from Netzah Yehuda. According to Israeli sources, the Americans were not satisfied with the results of the investigations nor the manner in which they were handled.

When asked to comment on the sanctions over the weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to the Leahy Laws. Passed in the 1990s, the laws prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights and have not been brought to justice. As a result, Netzah Yehuda would be preventing from training with U.S. soldiers or receiving American weapons.

The ultra-Orthodox unit was removed from serving in the West Bank in December 2022, and has been deployed to Gaza during the current war against Hamas.