According to the report, Blinken will target the “Netzah Yehuda” unit, which is accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Ben Gvir: I will integrate the battalion into the police. After several incidents, the unit was transferred to the country’s north in 2020.

The battalion has been at the heart of many controversial incidents in the past linked to right-wing extremism and violence against Palestinians, most notably the death of Omar Asaad, a 78-year-old Palestinian-American who died after battalion soldiers arrested, tied, and blindfolded him and then left him in extreme cold.

Israel transferred the unit from the West Bank in December 2022 – although it denied it did so because of the behavior of its soldiers – and since then, the unit has operated mainly in the north of the country.

The alleged US plan sparked harsh reactions from Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sanctions should not be imposed on the IDF,” Netanyahu wrote on the X platform. In recent weeks, I have worked against imposing sanctions on Israeli citizens, including in talks with the US administration.

War Cabinet centrist Benny Gantz joined the criticism, saying the infantry unit is “an integral part of the Israeli army” and bound by military and international law, and added that Israel courts are extreme and independent as well so that they can deal with the alleged violations by themselves.

According to Gantz, we respect our American friends but imposing sanctions on the units sends the wrong message to our common enemies in bad times, such as war. He further said measures are needed to prevent this resolution from being passed.

Expressions of surprise and anger in Israel came shortly after leaders expressed profound gratitude to the United States after the US House of Representatives approved a large military aid package for the Jewish state.

Citing unnamed American sources, the Axios report said that the sanctions would prevent the transfer of American weapons to the infantry unit, which primarily includes soldiers from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish movement, and prevent its soldiers from training with American forces or participating in any American-funded activities, following laws. Lehi.

Laws drafted by Senator Patrick Leahy in the late 1990s prohibit military assistance to individuals or security force units who commit serious human rights violations and have not been brought to justice.

One source said that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken decided not to impose sanctions on other military and police units that the administration is investigating because it noticed changes in their behavior.

Describing the report in Axios as “extremely serious,” Ben Gvir said he expects Defense Minister Yoav Galant not to submit to American dictates” and that members of Netzah Yehuda “should have full support.

Suppose no one in the Ministry of Defense will support the battalion as required. In that case, I will request that they be absorbed into the Israel Police and the Ministry of National Security,” Ben Gvir continued, adding that he would be willing to integrate the battalion into the Border Police.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said imposing sanctions “while Israel is fighting for its existence is absolute madness.

This is part of a planned move to force the State of Israel to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state and give up Israel’s security,” Smotrich wrote in a post on the X platform.