Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers have strongly criticized the reported intentions of the Biden administration to impose sanctions on a unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for alleged human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. The alleged abuses are said to have involved members of the Netzah Yehuda battalion in the region and are reported to have occurred before Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7.
Netanyahu expressed his disapproval over the proposed sanctions, stating, 'Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces! At a time when our soldiers are combating the terrors of terrorism, the idea of sanctioning an IDF unit is utterly absurd and morally reprehensible.'
The Israeli Prime Minister vowed to take action against any US efforts to sanction Israeli citizens, emphasizing his government's commitment to defending the IDF. Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that determinations had been made regarding potential funding cuts to specific Israeli security units due to reports of human rights violations prior to October 7. However, Blinken did not specifically mention the Netzah Yehuda battalion in his statements.
