Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged that the military will increase “pressure” on Hamas in a bid to secure the release of captives in Gaza.
According to Netanyahu, that is “the only way to free our hostages.”
He iterated that the military would “deliver additional and painful blows.”
Netanyahu added that he would fight against any U.S attempts to sanction the Netzah Yehuda battalion, which is accused of committing human rights violations against Palestinians.
“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,” he added.
“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.
According to reports in the Israeli media, US state department officials confirmed that they are preparing to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda battalion of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The highly significant move, which would be the first time the US government has targeted an IDF unit, prompted immediate anger among Israeli political leaders who vowed to oppose it.
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.
Israeli army Spokesman, Daniel Hagari claimed on X that the military is unaware of a decision by the United States to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda battalion.
“If a decision is made on the matter, it will be examined,” he said, adding that the Israeli army “is working and will continue to work to investigate every unusual incident based on fact and in accordance with the law.”
Hagari stated, “Netzah Yehuda soldiers are now participating in the war in the Gaza Strip with courage and professionalism, while maintaining the values and spirit of [the Israeli army] and the principles of international law.”
Israeli Minister of Education, Yoav Kisch also expressed his outrage against the possible measure.
He said in a statement on X that Israel will “work to prevent this” adding the sanctions would be “a grave, outrageous and disappointing mistake.”
“The Netza Yehuda battalion is an inseparable part of the Israel Defense Forces,” Benny Gantz, a senior member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet and a former IDF chief of staff, noted.
“It is subject to military law and is responsible for operating in full compliance with international law. The state of Israel has a strong, independent judicial system that evaluates meticulously any claim of a violation or deviation from IDF orders and code of conduct, and will continue to do so.”
Benny Gantz
Israeli Minister Seeks Sanctions Against Palestinian Authority
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded the imposition of “immediate sanctions” against the Palestinian Authority (PA) in response to “the Biden administration’s political decision” to blacklist the Israeli military’s Netzar Yehuda battalion.
The army unit stationed in the occupied West Bank has been accused of human rights abuses by officials in the US State Department.
Ben-Gvir said on X that he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene a political and security cabinet in the evening to sanction the PA, confiscating its funds, and formulating “a series of severe sanctions against the Palestinian banks.”
READ ALSO: Israeli Military Aid Juggernaut Spared While Germany Faces ICJ Heat
