{"id":32207,"date":"2024-04-21T23:04:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-21T23:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/21\/u-s-considers-imposing-sanctions-on-israeli-military-unit\/"},"modified":"2024-04-21T23:04:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T23:04:00","slug":"u-s-considers-imposing-sanctions-on-israeli-military-unit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/21\/u-s-considers-imposing-sanctions-on-israeli-military-unit\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Considers Imposing Sanctions on Israeli Military Unit"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/21\/multimedia\/21mideast-ledeall-klfg\/21mideast-ledeall-klfg-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,549&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"U.S. Considers Imposing Sanctions on Israeli Military Unit\" title=\"U.S. Considers Imposing Sanctions on Israeli Military Unit\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday called the possibility of the Biden administration\u2019s placing such sanctions \u201cthe peak of absurdity and a moral low\u201d at a time when Israeli forces are fighting a war in Gaza against Hamas. Mr. Netanyahu said in a social media <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/netanyahu\/status\/1781772418651975944\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">post<\/a> that his government would \u201cact by all means\u201d against any such move.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The news about the possible sanctions, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/04\/20\/us-israel-sanctions-idf-west-bank\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reported earlier by Axios<\/a>, came only a day after <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/20\/us\/politics\/ukraine-aid-bill-gaza-johnson.html\" title=\"\">the House approved $26 billion<\/a> for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza. The sanctions, if imposed, would not hold up the military aid that was just approved in Congress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Sunday, Palestinians in the West Bank went on a general strike to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/04\/20\/world\/israel-iran-gaza-war-news\/israeli-raid-on-a-refugee-camp-in-the-west-bank-kills-10-people?smid=url-share\" title=\"\">protest a deadly Israeli military raid<\/a> at a refugee camp. At least 10 people were killed in the raid on Saturday, the latest operation in a sweeping economic and security clampdown in the Israeli-occupied territory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and detained in raids in the West Bank, which Israeli officials describe as counterterrorism operations against Hamas and other armed groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The strike on Sunday \u201cparalyzed all aspects of life\u201d in the West Bank, with shops, schools, universities and banks shuttered, according to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa. Public transportation also was halted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The possible imposition of sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda and other battalions would come under the so-called 1997 <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/key-topics-bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor\/human-rights\/leahy-law-fact-sheet\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Leahy Law<\/a>, which bans foreign military units accused of human rights violations from receiving U.S. aid or training.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It was not clear what practical impact any sanctions might have, given that funding of specific Israeli units is hard to track and the battalions in question do not receive American training. But such a punitive move would clearly sting, especially coming from Israel\u2019s closest ally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Netzah Yehuda, which has been <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/religious-unit-with-reputation-of-rights-abuses-to-exit-west-bank-for-first-time\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">accused of violence against Palestinians<\/a> in the West Bank in the past, was established for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men whose strict religious observance demands that men and women be separated. The battalion has attracted other Orthodox soldiers as well, including hard-line nationalists from the West Bank settler movement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One of the most egregious episodes attributed to the Netzah Yehuda battalion involved the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/20\/world\/middleeast\/palestinian-american-detain-israel-dead.html\" title=\"\">death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man<\/a> who was detained, gagged and handcuffed by members of the unit in a night raid on his village in January 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">An <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/26\/world\/middleeast\/palestinian-american-dies-israel-autopsy.html\" title=\"\">autopsy<\/a> showed that the man, Omar Abdelmajed Assad, had died from a stress-induced heart attack brought on by injuries he sustained while he was detained. An investigation by the Israeli military\u2019s justice system found failures in the conduct of the soldiers involved, who, the military said, \u201cacted in a manner that did not correspond with what is required and expected of\u201d Israeli soldiers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Israeli military <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/02\/01\/world\/middleeast\/israel-commanders-palestinian-man.html?searchResultPosition=1\" title=\"\">disciplined three of the unit\u2019s commanders<\/a> 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\u2019s death and the failures of the soldiers\u2019 conduct.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Human rights organizations have long accused the Israeli military justice system of whitewashing wrongdoing, and the military of acting with impunity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Biden administration has been putting Israel on notice over rising levels of settler violence against Palestinians and anti-settlement activists in the occupied West Bank, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/02\/01\/world\/middleeast\/biden-sanctions-israel-west-bank.html\" title=\"\">imposing financial and travel sanctions<\/a> on <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/03\/14\/world\/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news\/state-department-imposes-new-sanctions-on-israeli-settlers-over-west-bank-violence?smid=url-share\" title=\"\">several people<\/a> and, most recently, on two grass-roots organizations raising funds for some of those individuals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Mr. Netanyahu\u2019s war cabinet and a former military chief, said imposing sanctions on Israeli military units would set \u201ca dangerous precedent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The fierce denunciations came just hours after Israeli officials <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/netanyahu\/status\/1781752374865854548\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">welcomed<\/a> the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/04\/21\/world\/israel-iran-gaza-war-news\/house-aid-vote-israel-gaza?smid=url-share\" title=\"\">bipartisan vote<\/a> in Congress to approve billions of dollars in aid for Israel, underscoring the dramatic swings and contradictions that have characterized recent relations between President Biden and Mr. Netanyahu.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Biden has chided Mr. Netanyahu over civilian deaths in Gaza while nonetheless <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/16\/us\/politics\/biden-diplomatic-victory-israel-iran.html?searchResultPosition=8\" title=\"\">coming to Israel\u2019s aid<\/a> in repelling an attack this month from Iran and providing weapons used in the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israel\u2019s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said that he talked recently with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob J. Lew.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOur friends and our enemies are closely watching the ties between Israel and the United States, now more than ever,\u201d Mr. Gallant said in a statement early Monday. \u201cI call on the U.S. administration to withdraw its intention to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda battalion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Biden has faced months of criticism and fury \u2014 even from some members of his own party \u2014 over his backing of Israel\u2019s war in Gaza as the death toll there has climbed, and any imposition of sanctions against an Israeli unit could be seen as a kind of counterweight. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed during the six months of war, according to Gazan health officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mick Mulroy, a former C.I.A. officer and senior Pentagon official, said in an interview that placing such sanctions on a close ally like Israel would be unusual, so \u201cit should send a message.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Charles Blaha, the former director of the State Department\u2019s office of democracy and human rights, said he hoped any decision to impose sanctions \u201cwould provide incentives to Israel to improve accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The general strike in the West Bank on Sunday was not the first shutdown in the territory as an act of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/1\/3\/general-strikes-across-west-bank-after-assassination-of-hamass-al-arouri\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">protest in recent months<\/a>. The Israeli authorities have tightened restrictions there since Oct. 7, canceling thousands of permits that allowed Palestinians to work in Israel and squeezing the economy in the West Bank, where about 500,000 Israeli settlers live alongside roughly 2.7 million Palestinians.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Violence in the West Bank has sharply escalated in recent months. Nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces there since the Israel-Hamas war started, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/21\/world\/middleeast\/us-sanctions-israel-gaza.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 possibility of the Biden administration\u2019s placing such sanctions \u201cthe peak of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/21\/multimedia\/21mideast-ledeall-klfg\/21mideast-ledeall-klfg-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15876,36085,1178,2198,13674,221,4493],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32207"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32207"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32209,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32207\/revisions\/32209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}