US is set to sanction a unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) over human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The US is preparing to impose sanctions on the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has been accused of serious human rights violations against Palestinians, The Guardian reported, citing Israeli media.
However, the US Congress has voted for $26 billion in new emergency aid to Israel as part of continuous support for the country, despite accusations of committing ‘genocide’ in Palestine.
The sanctions, which would be imposed under the 1997 Leahy law, would prohibit the transfer of US military aid to the unit and prevent soldiers and officers participating in training either with the US military or in programmes that receive US funding.
The report that an IDF battalion is facing imminent sanctions prompted a sharp response from senior Israeli figures, including the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The IDF must not be sanctioned!” he wrote on X. “I’ve been working in recent weeks against the sanctioning of Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with the American administration.”
“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, committing to fight the move although it was not clear how.
