Israel: Complaints about the action of the “Netzah Yehuda” order, which may be sanctioned by the US

Synonymous with far-right extremism and violence against Palestinians is the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) battalion, ‘Netzach Yehuda’ formerly known as ‘Haredi Nahal’, which the US may impose sanctions on.

“Netzach Yehuda” (pictured above the order’s official website nahalharedi.org), is made up of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who receive military support and training from the US and according to US news site Axios, citing three well-informed sources, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is expected within the next few days to announce sanctions against him for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank.

“This is an order that legitimizes settler violence and fuels it with enthusiasm”

Members of the “Netzach Yehuda” Order

The battalion is accused of committing several crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank, including the torture of elderly Palestinian Omar Asaad, who has American citizenship. The members of the order, after abusing and torturing him, left him in an abandoned house in the bitter cold. After that, the US government announced that it would conduct an investigation into these crimes.

“Killing Palestinians for no reason – Disband”

“The ‘Netzah Yehuda’ battalion is killing Palestinians for no reason,” said the head of the Israeli Labor Party, Merav Mikaeli.

“The US sanctions should be a wake-up call and a realization that Israel’s practices in the occupied territories cannot continue,” he said. “Two years ago, the United States formed an investigation team for the battalion. The political and military leadership cannot pretend that they were not aware of this,” he added.

“Netzah Yehuda is a battalion in the Israeli army that should have been disbanded many years ago. Most of the Haredim who serve in his army are people who see religion as an excuse to attack the Arabs,” the Israeli politician noted, according to ertnews.

He also denounced that this is an order “that legitimizes the violence of the settlers and feeds it with enthusiasm. He left an 80-year-old Palestinian-American citizen to die in an abandoned place and kills Palestinians for no real reason. He beats and tortures Palestinian prisoners … These sanctions should make the Israeli army realize this and urgently dismantle Netzah Yehuda,” he stressed.

Sanctions for incidents prior to Hamas attack on Israel

The US decision to impose sanctions was based on incidents of extreme violence and human rights violations reported in the West Bank before the October 7 attack by Hamas, according to a US official. The Israeli army withdrew this unit from the West Bank in December 2022.

This will be the first time the US has sanctioned an Israeli military unit, and the prospect has angered the Israeli government.

Sanctions should not be imposed on the IDF (unit),” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on Platform X, adding that his government would oppose such measures with every means at its disposal.

For his part, Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war council, argued that possible sanctions against an IDF unit would set a dangerous precedent and send the wrong message to “our common enemies” in wartime.

According to the Israeli website Ynet: “In the Israeli military, there are fears that the American move would trigger dangerous escalating reactions against other units as well,” while Israeli fears are expressed of legal prosecutions in Europe against Israeli officers and soldiers who participated in the war in Gaza.