Explained: The US plans to sanction Netzah Yehuda, an Israeli ...
The US government may soon sanction a battalion of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) over alleged human rights violations, marking the first such move in the history of the two countries’ relations.
According to an April 20 report from the media organisation Axios, which cited three US sources, “The sanctions will ban the battalion and its members from receiving any kind of U.S. military assistance or training”.
Reuters also reported US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as recently saying he had made “determinations” on the matter, and a decision could be announced.
On April 21, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X that “Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces!” and that in recent weeks he had 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,” he said. What is the issue about?
What is the likely basis of US sanctions on Israel’s military?The Axios report said the US is acting on concerns related to alleged human rights violations at the hands of the battalion. The incidents in question reportedly happened in the West Bank before the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year.
In particular, one incident has been mentioned. In January 2022, 78-year-old Omar Assad, a US-Palestinian citizen, was found dead after Israeli soldiers detained him in the West Bank. The IDF claimed in a public release that his vehicle was stopped for inspection and he was found to be travelling without any identification papers. Israel heavily regulates movement within the region.
Omar was detained with others in a nearby building and released after a few hours, which is when he was found to be dead. The Palestinians said in the autopsy report that he died of a heart attack.
An IDF investigation concluded that the incident resulted “from a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers”.
It also claimed “there was no use of violence during the incident apart from when Assad was apprehended after refusing to cooperate. The soldiers failed in their obligations by leaving Assad lying on the floor without the required treatment and without reporting the incident back to their commanders.”
However, it was alleged that the IDF soldiers gagged the man and forced him to be in an uncomfortable position when questioning him.
A statement from the US State Department at the time said it was “deeply concerned” about the circumstances of Assad’s death and expected “a thorough criminal investigation and full accountability in this case”.
What is the Netzah Yehuda?According to Reuters, “The Netzah Yehuda battalion was set up in 1999 to accommodate the religious beliefs of ultra-Orthodox Jews and other religious nationalist recruits in the army.” This includes “giving them time for prayers and study and limiting their interactions with women soldiers.”
It is an all-male unit of the military. In February 2022, Israeli media organisation Haaretz published an account of the battalion’s criticism, notably the human rights violations that have been linked to it over the years. Members of the group has been indicted in the past in Israel for the torture and sexual assault of Palestinians, in separate cases.
Why is the sanction being mulled now?
The power for imposing the sanctions is believed to flow from the Leahy Laws in the US. They “prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights and have not been brought to justice,” Reuters reported. It has been applied against some of the US assistance given to a few countries in South America, among others.
On a broader level, the decision may be linked to Israel’s continued military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Since October 7, over 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with concerns over civilian deaths at the hands of the IDF raised time and again.
US President Joe Biden has urged restraint of Israel but defended its “right to defend” itself. By largely supporting the actions of its longtime ally – through diplomatic and financial support – the US has come under criticism at home and abroad.
Biden is also walking a tightrope politically, with US presidential elections due later this year. Pro-Palestinian protests have become a flashpoint over US college campuses, seen as at odds with the country’s historic support for Israel.
The attempt to maintain balance is also seen in how on April 21, the US Congress voted for a Bill to commit around $26 billion for supporting Israel and providing humanitarian relief for people in Gaza. It will now go to the Senate.
Benny Gantz, a far-right Israeli minister, recently spoke to Blinken recently to request him to “reconsider the prospective decision”.
