Israel urges the US to reconsider sanctions against Israeli military units

Sewage water is seen at a temporary camp in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, April 17, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

Israeli War Minister Benny Gantz has called on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call to reconsider possible sanctions against an Israeli military unit, his office said on Sunday.

The call with Blinken came after Israeli media reported that the US State Department may impose sanctions on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Netzah Yehuda battalion, which is accused of human rights abuses in the West Bank.

Gantz told Blinken that this move would “damage Israel’s legitimacy in times of war,” claiming that “there is no justification for it because Israel has a strong and independent legal system.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to fight any sanctions imposed on parts of the IDF with “all strength,” according to his statement on Saturday.

IDF said on Sunday that the Netzah Yehuda Battalion is currently engaged in fighting in the Gaza Strip. “The battalion conducts operations professionally and courageously in accordance with the IDF Code of Ethics and with full commitment to international law,” the army said in a statement.

“The reports of sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda Battalion are currently unknown to the IDF,” the military added.

Netzah Yehuda, reportedly made up of ultra-Orthodox Jewish soldiers, has been accused of abusing Palestinians in the West Bank in several cases, some of which were captured on video.

In 2022, during an arrest, Netzah Yehuda soldiers bound, gagged and blindfolded an 80-year-old Palestinian-American man, who subsequently died of a heart attack. The battalion commander was reprimanded and two officers were fired, but no criminal charges were filed.