U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against the "Nitzach Yehuda" battalion of the Israeli army within days due to human rights violations in the West Bank, according to three informed American sources speaking to Axios. This will be the first time the United States imposes sanctions on an Israeli military unit.
The sources indicated that the sanctions will prevent the battalion and its members from receiving any type of U.S. assistance or military training. On Thursday, the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica, based in New York City, reported that a special committee of the State Department investigated the alleged human rights violations.
An American official stated that Blinken's decision regarding the "Nitzach Yehuda" unit is based on incidents that occurred before the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, all of which took place in the West Bank. One source noted that several other military and police units that were investigated will not face penalties if they correct their behavior.
According to the American website, the "Nitzach Yehuda" battalion was formed as a special unit for ultra-Orthodox soldiers, and all its members are male. Over the years, the unit, stationed in the West Bank, has become a destination for many young settlers who were not accepted into any other combat unit in the Israel Defense Forces.
The newspaper Haaretz reported that the U.S. State Department began investigating the "Nitzach Yehuda" battalion in late 2022 after its soldiers were involved in several violent incidents against Palestinian civilians. In January 2023, the battalion was transferred from the West Bank to the Golan Heights. At that time, Haaretz noted that the decision was made due to numerous incidents where its soldiers used violence against Palestinian civilians.
