Israel’s Netanyahu says will fight any sanctions on army battalions
- The US appears close to sanctioning Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion over alleged human rights violations
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says will ‘fight it with all my strength’ attempts to sanction units
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after media reports said Washington was planning such a step.
Axios news site on Saturday reported that Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has operated in the occupied West Bank, though the Israeli military said it was not aware of any such measures.
On Friday, the United States announced a series of sanctions linked to Israeli settlers in the West Bank, in the latest sign of growing US frustration with the policies of Netanyahu, whose coalition government relies on settler parties.
“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) - I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday.
Netanyahu has clashed repeatedly with President Joe Biden’s administration over its pressure to do more to protect civilians and work toward a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.