The United States is considering imposing sanctions on one or more Israeli battalions accused of human rights violations during operations in the occupied West Bank, according to a person familiar with the deliberations.
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday called the prospect of the Biden administration imposing such sanctions “the height of absurdity and low morale” at a time when Israeli forces are waging a war in Gaza against Hamas. Netanyahu said on a social network mail that his government would “act by all means” against any such measure.
The news about the possible sanctions, previously reported by Axios, came just one day after the House approved $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza. The sanctions, if imposed, would not delay the military aid that was just approved in Congress.
The possible imposition of sanctions against Netzah Yehuda and other battalions would fall under the so-called Leahy Law of 1997, which prohibits foreign military units accused of human rights violations from receiving US aid or training.
It was unclear what practical impact any sanctions might have, given that funding for specific Israeli units is difficult to track and the battalions in question do not receive American training. But such a punitive measure would clearly hurt, especially coming from Israel’s closest ally.
Netzah Yehuda, which has been accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in the past, was created for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men whose strict religious observance requires men and women to be separated. The battalion has also attracted other Orthodox soldiers, including hardline nationalists from the West Bank settler movement.
One of the most egregious episodes attributed to the Netzah Yehuda battalion involved the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American who was detained, gagged and handcuffed by members of the unit in a nighttime raid on his village in January 2022.
An autopsy showed that the man, Omar Abdelmajed Assad, had died of a stress-induced heart attack caused by injuries he suffered while in custody. An investigation by the Israeli military justice system found fault with the conduct of the soldiers involved, who, according to the military, “acted in a manner that did not correspond to what is required and expected of” Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli military disciplined three of the unit’s commanders after the investigation. But no criminal charges were brought against the soldiers because, the military said at the time, no causal link was found between Mr. Assad’s death and the soldiers’ misconduct.
Human rights organizations have long accused the Israeli military justice system of covering up irregularities and the military of acting with impunity.
The Biden administration has been warning Israel about rising levels of settler violence against Palestinians and anti-settlement activists in the occupied West Bank, imposing financial and travel sanctions on several individuals and, most recently, two grassroots organizations that raise funds for some of those individuals.
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet and former military chief, said imposing sanctions on Israeli military units would set “a dangerous precedent.”
The fiery denunciations came just hours after Israeli officials welcomed the bipartisan vote in Congress to approve billions of dollars in aid for Israel, underscoring the dramatic shifts and contradictions that have characterized recent relations between President Biden and Netanyahu.
Biden has rebuked Netanyahu over civilian deaths in Gaza, yet he has helped Israel repel an attack by Iran this month and provided weapons used in the war in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he recently spoke with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and US Ambassador to Israel Jacob J. Lew.
“Our friends and enemies are watching the ties between Israel and the United States closely, now more than ever,” Gallant said in a statement Monday. “I call on the US administration to withdraw its intention to impose sanctions on the Netzach Yehuda battalion.”
Biden has faced months of criticism and fury – including from some members of his own party – for his support of Israel’s war in Gaza as the death toll there has risen, and any imposition of sanctions against an Israeli unit could be seen as a kind of counterweight. More than 34,000 Palestinians have died during the six months of war, according to Gaza health officials.
Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer and senior Pentagon official, said imposing such sanctions on a close ally like Israel would be unusual, so “it should send a message.”
Cob Blaha, head of the State Department’s democracy and human rights office, said he hoped any decision to impose sanctions would “provide incentives for Israel to improve accountability.”
Nathan Odenheimer and Gabby Sobelman contributed with reports.