The United States is considering imposing sanctions on a number of Israeli battalions accused of human rights abuses during operations within the occupied West Bank, in keeping with an individual acquainted with the deliberations.
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday called the potential for the Biden administration imposing such sanctions “the height of absurdity and the lowest moral level” at a time when Israeli forces are waging war in Gaza against Hamas. – Netanyahu announced on social media post that his government would “use all measures” against such a move.
Message about possible sanctions, previously reported by Axios, got here only a day after the House approved $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including the Gaza Strip. The sanctions, if imposed, wouldn’t withhold the military aid that was just approved in Congress.
Palestinians within the West Bank launched a general strike on Sunday to protest a deadly Israeli military raid on a refugee camp. At least 10 people were killed in Saturday’s airstrike, the most recent operation in a sweeping economic and security crackdown on Israeli-occupied territory.
Since Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, lots of of Palestinians have been killed and detained in raids within the West Bank that Israeli officials describe as counterterrorism operations against Hamas and other armed groups.
Sunday’s strike “paralyzed all aspects of life” within the West Bank, closing shops, schools, universities and banks, in keeping with the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Public transport was also suspended.
The possible imposition of sanctions on Netzah Yehuda and other battalions shall be covered by the so-called Leahy’s lawwhich prohibits foreign military units accused of human rights abuses from receiving U.S. aid or training.
It was unclear what practical impact any sanctions might need, provided that funding for specific Israeli units is difficult to trace and the battalions in query don’t receive U.S. training. But such a punitive move would clearly sting, especially from Israel’s closest ally.
Netzah Yehuda who was accused of using violence against Palestinians within the West Bank, was established for ultra-Orthodox Jews whose strict religious observance requires the separation of men and girls. The battalion also attracted other Orthodox soldiers, including hard-line nationalists from the West Bank settlement movement.
One of essentially the most egregious episodes attributed to the Netzah Yehuda Battalion involved the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American who was detained, gagged and handcuffed by members of the unit during an evening raid on his village in January 2022.
An autopsy revealed that the person, Omar Abdelmajed Assad, died of a stress-induced heart attack following injuries sustained during his detention. An investigation by Israel’s military justice system found misconduct within the conduct of the soldiers involved, who the military said “behaved in a manner inconsistent with the requirements and expectations” of Israeli soldiers.
Following an investigation, the Israeli military punished the unit’s three commanders. However, no criminal charges were brought against the soldiers because, because the military claimed on the time, no causal link had been found between Assad’s death and the soldiers’ misconduct.
Human rights groups have long accused Israel’s military justice system of whitewashing wrongdoing and the military of impunity.
The Biden administration has been targeting Israel amid rising levels of settler violence against Palestinians and anti-settler activists within the occupied West Bank, imposing financial and travel sanctions on several individuals and, most recently, two grassroots organizations raising funds for a few of these individuals.
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet and former military chief, said imposing sanctions on Israeli military units would set a “dangerous precedent.”
The fierce condemnation got here just hours after Israeli officials welcomed a bipartisan vote in Congress to approve billions in aid for Israel, underscoring the dramatic swings and contradictions which have characterised the recent relationship between President Biden and Netanyahu.
Mr. Biden chided Netanyahu for the deaths of civilians in Gaza, but he nonetheless got here to Israel’s aid in repelling an attack by Iran this month and providing weapons utilized in the Gaza war.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he recently spoke with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jacob J. Lew.
“Our friends and our enemies are closely watching the relationship between Israel and the United States, now more than ever,” Gallant said in a press release early Monday. “I call on the US administration to withdraw its intention to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion.”
Biden has faced criticism and anger for months – even from some members of his own party – over his support for Israel’s war in Gaza because the death toll within the country rises, and any imposition of sanctions on an Israeli entity could possibly be seen as as a form of counterweight. According to health officials in Gaza, greater than 34,000 Palestinians have died in six months of war.
Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer and senior Pentagon official, said in an interview that imposing such sanctions on a detailed ally like Israel can be unusual, so “it should send a message.”
Charles Blaha, former director of the State Department’s Office of Democracy and Human Rights, expressed hope that any decision to impose sanctions would “provide Israel with an incentive to improve accountability.”
Sunday’s general strike within the West Bank was not the primary time the country was shut down following a coup protests in recent months. Israeli authorities have tightened restrictions there since Oct. 7, revoking 1000’s of permits that allowed Palestinians to work in Israel and hampering the economy within the West Bank, home to about 500,000 Israeli settlers and about 2.7 million Palestinians.
Violence within the West Bank has increased dramatically in recent months. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed there by Israeli forces because the war between Israel and Hamas began.
