U.S. Considers Sanctions Against Israeli Unit for First Time

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against the Israeli Defense Forces' "Nitzach Yehuda" battalion in the coming days due to human rights violations. This information was reported to Axios by three American sources familiar with the situation.

This will mark the first instance of U.S. sanctions being imposed on an Israeli military unit. The sanctions would prohibit the battalion and its members from receiving any military aid or training from the U.S., the sources indicated.

Earlier, a special committee within the U.S. State Department, which was investigating alleged human rights violations, had advised Blinken several months ago to revoke the rights to American assistance for several Israeli military and police units operating in the West Bank.

A U.S. official stated that Blinken's decision regarding the "Nitzach Yehuda" battalion is based on incidents that occurred before the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, all of which happened in the West Bank. The battalion was formed as a special unit for ultra-Orthodox Jews of conscription age, and all of its members are male. Over the years, the battalion has become a service destination for many young, radically right-wing settlers who have not been accepted into any other combat units.

The U.S. State Department began investigating the battalion at the end of 2022 after its soldiers were linked to several instances of violence against Palestinian civilians, as reported by Haaretz. One of the incidents involved the death of 80-year-old American Omar Assad of Palestinian descent in January 2022. He was detained by soldiers of the "Nitzach Yehuda" battalion at a checkpoint in his village in the West Bank late at night. After refusing to undergo a check, the soldiers handcuffed him, gagged him, and left him lying on the cold ground. Hours later, he was found dead.

In January 2023, the battalion was relocated from the West Bank to the Golan Heights. The decision was reportedly the result of numerous incidents where battalion soldiers had employed violence against Palestinian civilians.

“Sanctions should not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Saturday. According to him, at a time when the IDF is fighting Hamas, the intention to implement such measures is “the peak of absurdity and moral decline,” and he asserted that his government would “take all measures against these actions.”

In the ongoing war with Hamas, the number of casualties in Gaza has exceeded 34,000, with the majority being women and children. At least six individuals have died as a result of an aerial strike on a house in Rafah. According to the health authorities led by the Gaza government, 77,000 people have been injured. These figures do not include tens of thousands of deceased individuals who are believed to be buried under the rubble of bombed homes, shops, shelters, and other buildings, as reported by the Associated Press. Israeli military officials claim to have killed more than 13,000 Hamas members.