Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would fight against any sanctions being imposed on Israeli military units for alleged rights violations. The Israel PM stated this after a United States media outlet reported that Washington was planning to sanction Israel.
According to the US-based Axios news site report on Saturday, Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion. The battalion has operated in the occupied West Bank and responsible for the attacks there.
But responding to news, the Israeli military said it was not aware of any such measures.
Israeli media also identified the unit expected to be targeted as Netzah Yehuda. It pointed that the infantry battalion was founded roughly a quarter of a century ago. It was used to incorporate ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the Israeli military.
However, on Friday April, 19 the US announced a new series of sanctions linked to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. An indication of the growing US frustration with the policies of Netanyahu, whose coalition government relies on settler parties.
But responding to the news, Netanyahu on Sunday, said, “If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the [Israeli army], I will fight it with all my strength.”
However, the Israeli war Cabinet Minister, Benny Gantz, on Sunday said he had spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He had asked him to reconsider the matter.
Gantz stated that any of such sanctions would be a mistake. This is because they would harm Israel’s legitimacy during a time of war.
Recall that Blinken said on Friday that he made “determinations” regarding accusations that Israel violated a set of US laws. These are laws that prohibit providing military assistance to individuals. Or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights.
The US Secretary of State, Blinken, however, did not provide detail. He said his department was conducting investigations under a law that prohibits sending military aid to foreign security units that violate human rights with impunity.
“I think it’s fair to say that you’ll see results very soon. I’ve made determinations. You can expect to see them in the days ahead,” Blinken said.
source: Al Jazeera
