The US is mulling over sanctions against Ultra-Orthodox army unit, says expert

• Published date: 22 April 2024
• Author: NATHAN KLABIN/THE MEDIA LINE
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

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This statement followed the bipartisan passage of a $95 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan by the US House of Representatives.

Unnamed US officials told Israeli media that Blinken would sanction the Netzah Yehuda Battalion. This decision stems from the battalion's history of human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank. If confirmed, this would mark the first US sanctions against an Israel Defense Forces unit for activities in the West Bank. The sources indicated that the sanctions would block American military aid, bar soldiers and officers from US Army training, and prevent participation in US-funded activities.

Israel doesn't hold soldiers accountable, believes US

Experts from the US State Department's Israel Leahy Vetting Forum based their recommendation on the Leahy Laws, landmark legislation that prohibits providing military assistance to entities committing human rights violations with impunity. Previously, this law has blocked numerous foreign police and military units in Cambodia, Colombia, and Mexico from receiving US aid.

The Media Line inquired about the sanctions' implications with Prof. Yuval Shany, the Hersch Lauterpacht Chair of Public International Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "The implications of the decision suggest that the US administration believes this IDF unit is involved in serious human rights violations. Apart from the immediate impact on the unit's ability to receive training and equipment through US foreign assistance, this casts a negative light on the perception of the IDF's investigative and disciplinary processes."

Professor Yuval explained that sanctioning the Netzah Yehuda Battalion would imply the US doubts Israel's ability to hold this unit accountable for its actions.

"The Leahy amendment has an explicit exception for effective domestic judicial response, which is not being relied upon in this case. Both of these developments could have wider implications for how foreign nations assess the compatibility of assisting Israel with their own international law obligations...