Washington:
The United States appears close to sanctioning an Israeli military unit for alleged human rights abuses in the West Bank, a move that Israel's prime minister angrily denounced as “the height of absurdity.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted at such moves when a reporter in Italy asked him about reports that his department had recommended cuts in military aid to an Israeli unit involved in violent incidents in the West Bank.
The accusations precede Hamas' deadly October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
Blinken said, without giving details, that his department was investigating under a law that bans sending military aid to foreign security units that abuse human rights with impunity.
He then added: “I think it's fair to say that you will see results very soon. I have made decisions; you can expect them in the coming days.”
In late 2022, the State Department ordered embassy staff in Israel to investigate alleged abuses in the West Bank by the army's ultra-Orthodox Netzach Yehuda Battalion.
That included an incident in January 2022 when a 78-year-old Palestinian American died of a heart attack after his arrest.
Although the accusations precede the Hamas attacks and Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza, the suggestion of possible sanctions against the Israeli forces provoked an angry response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“In recent weeks, I have advocated against the imposition of sanctions on Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with senior U.S. government officials,” he posted on social media platform X late Saturday.
“At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to sanction a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low point. The government led by me will act against these movements with all possible means. “
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant similarly denounced the possibility of sanctions after discussing the issue with army chief Herzi Halevi.
“The commanders and troops of the Netzach Yehuda Battalion operate on the front lines – since the outbreak of war, they have worked to drive Hezbollah forces from the northern border, to thwart terrorism in Judea and Samaria, and most recently they were operating to dismantle Hamas brigades in Gaza,” he said, adding that they were operating in accordance with international law and the values of the Israeli military.
He urged Washington to “withdraw its intention to impose sanctions” on the battalion.
The Axios website reported on Saturday, citing three US sources with knowledge of the matter, that Blinken was expected to announce sanctions against the battalion “within days”.
It said the sanctions would ban the unit from receiving U.S. military assistance or training.
An earlier report from ProPublica said a special State Department panel recommended in December that Blinken bar several military and police units serving in the West Bank from receiving U.S. aid.
The latest developments came at the same time as the US House of Representatives on Saturday overwhelmingly approved a bill to provide $26 billion in new emergency aid to Israel.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)