Ultra-Orthodox Battalion of the Israeli Army Faces Imminent Sanctions from the United States (Netzah Yehuda)
The United States is reportedly preparing to place Netzah Yehuda, an Israeli army battalion, on a blacklist for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. This potential action, expected to be announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the coming days, would mark a significant development in U.S. policy towards the Israeli military.
Netzah Yehuda, an exclusively male military unit created in 1999 to meet the religious needs of ultra-Orthodox haredim men, has been operating in cities such as Ramallah and Jenin. However, numerous reports have surfaced over the years, including from The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz, detailing a long history of abuses by Netzah Yehuda against Palestinians.
In October 2015, Palestinians detained by Netzah Yehuda in Jenin and Tulkarem were subjected to brutal treatment, with accounts of their eyes being bandaged, handcuffing, beating, and electrocution using electrodes. Similarly, in August 2016, an Israeli soldier from the unit shot Palestinian Iyad Zakariya Hamed near Silwad, but no charges were brought in this case.
More recently, in January 2022, the unit was involved in the death of an 80-year-old Palestinian-American, Omar Mahammad Asaad, following a violent detention. This incident triggered calls for an investigation from members of the Wisconsin Congress, and the battalion was subsequently transferred to the Golan Heights, near the Syrian border.
In October 2021, four soldiers from the unit were arrested for the alleged assault and sexual assault of a Palestinian detainee. Just a month earlier, at least five soldiers from the unit physically assaulted and arbitrarily arrested Shadi al-Ghobaishi, a Palestinian civilian.
If Netzah Yehuda is blacklisted, it would be the first time a unit of the Israeli army has been directly sanctioned by Washington. The Leahy Law, which prohibits the U.S. government from using funds to assist foreign security units if there is credible information that they have been involved in human rights violations, could potentially be invoked in this case.
According to the human rights organization Dawn, several other cases of arbitrary detention and physical assaults on Palestinians by the unit have been documented. It remains to be seen how the blacklisting will impact Netzah Yehuda and the broader relationship between the U.S. and Israel.
The potential blacklisting of Netzah Yehuda by the United States could mark a significant shift in U.S. politics, signaling a firm stance against war-and-conflicts and general-news involving human rights violations, particularly in the Middle East. If implemented, this action would place Netzah Yehuda, an Israeli army battalion with a history of abuses against Palestinians, on the same list as other foreign security units accused of similar violations.
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