Israel criticizes US sanctions against ultra-Orthodox military unit

The authorities of Israel expressed strong criticism of the expected decision of USA to impose sanctions on a unit of ultra-Orthodox soldiers of the Israeli army.

The measure, which would begin on Monday, will be the first time that the United States has imposed sanctions on a unit within the Israeli army and further complicates relations between the two allies, which became increasingly tense during the Israeli war. Israel in Gaza.

The battalion Netzah Yehuda (Judea Forever), was historically based in the occupied West Bank and some of its members were linked to abuses against Palestinians. It constitutes only a small part of Israel’s military presence in the territory.

Israeli authorities condemned the decision as unfair, especially at a time when Israel is at war, and vowed to oppose it.

“If anyone believes they can impose sanctions on an IDF unit, I will fight them with all my might,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the measure against the Israel Defense Forces.

The unit came under heavy American criticism in 2022 after an elderly Palestinian-American was found dead shortly after being detained at a West Bank checkpoint.

Omar Assad

A Palestinian autopsy revealed that Omar Assad, 78, had underlying health problems but had suffered a heart attack caused by “external violence.”

He explained that doctors found bruises on his head, redness on his wrists from being tied and bleeding on his eyelids from having his eyes tightly bandaged. A military investigation concluded that Israeli soldiers assumed Assad was asleep when they cut the cables binding his hands. They did not provide him with medical help when they saw that he was not responding and they left the scene without checking to see if he was alive.

Assad lived in the United States for four decades. After a protest from the United States government, the Israeli army simply indicated that the incident “It was a serious and unfortunate event, the result of moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers.” He added that one officer was reprimanded and two others were reassigned to non-dominant roles in the wake of the incident.

But the military decided not to pursue criminal proceedings, arguing that military investigators could not directly link its actions to the death of the American citizen.

Human rights groups have long stressed that Israel rarely holds soldiers accountable for Palestinian deaths.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the army said its soldiers from Netzah Yehuda “currently participating in the war effort in the Gaza Strip”.

“The battalion conducts operations professionally and courageously in accordance with the IDF Code of Ethics and with full commitment to international law”, said. He asserted that if the unit is sanctioned, “its consequences will be reviewed.”