Binyamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has pledged to combat any attempts to impose sanctions on the military units of Israel, as there are allegations that Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) battalion is possibly facing US sanctions due to their treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israeli media outlets have reported confirmations from officials in the US Department of State, that they plan on imposing sanctions on Netzah Yehuda battalion of the IDF. This particular battalion has been alleged to have committed severe human rights abuses against Palestinians.
Furthermore, the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, disclosed on Sunday that the US might also be considering similar sanction measures towards other military and police units. This move is monumental as it would be a US first, simultaneously occurring as the US Congress approves an emergency aid of $26bn (€24bn) to Israel.
The Israeli prime minister, in his statement, defended the IDF saying that he would ardently oppose any sanction attempts on an IDF unit. “I have dedicated the recent weeks fighting against the sanctioning of Israeli citizens, including dialogue with the American administration,” he noted on X.
He added: “To consider imposing sanctions on an IDF unit, while our soldiers combat terrorist atrocities, is the height of ridiculousness and morally reprehensible.”
On the other hand, the IDF claimed unawareness about any sanctions being enforced on its unit, but assured any decisions on the matter will be looked into.
The proposed sanctions would arise from the Leahy law implemented in 1997, which would ban any transfer of USA’s military aid to the conflicted unit, thereby preventing the soldiers and officers from partaking in training either with the US military or in programmes funded by the US.
The disclosure about these proposed plans occurred amidst the Israeli attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Saturday night; 22 individuals were reportedly killed, including 18 children, according to Gaza health officials. Based on hospital records, the majority of casualties resulted from the second of two air strikes; 17 children and 2 women from an extended family were killed.
On Friday, fresh sanctions were unveiled individually by the United States and European Union targeted at right-wing groups in Israel, as well as Non-Governmental Organisations with connections to settler aggression. High-profile figures such as Bentzi Gopstein, a familiar political comrade of Israel’s extreme-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, were included.
It seems the Biden administration is particularly at ease with deploring the deeds and policies of Israel in the West Bank compared to Gaza. Here, Israel is embroiled in a half-year conflict with Hamas that has resulted in over 85% of the coastal location’s inhabitants being forced to flee. The conflict has taken the lives of 34,000 Palestinians, a significant number of whom were civilians. – Guardian