According to Israeli media, US foreign affairs representatives have confirmed that they are preparing sanctions a Battalion Netzah Yehuda accused of regularly violating the human rights of Palestinians in the West Bank.
The move may take place after the US House of Representatives voted on Saturday to approve the US$26 billion in US aid to Israel.
The proposed US sanctions have drawn sharp opposition from Israeli political leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu from Prime Minister.
However, according to Israel’s Haaretz
The United States plans similar actions against other military and police units.
The sanctions would ban U.S. military aid to the unit and prevent soldiers and officers from participating in training with U.S. forces or in U.S.-funded programs.
The Netzah Yehuda Battalion, part of the Kfir Brigade, was formed in 1999 and is made up of ultra-Orthodox Jews and extremist settlers and has been deployed mostly in the West Bank.
Soldiers from the unit were charged with the death of Omar Assad, a 78-year-old American citizen who died of a heart attack in 2022 after members of the unit captured, bound, gagged and left him alone.
Cover image credit: Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images
