Those proposed sanctions on the Settler military unit are not sitting well with Israel
Netanyahu: Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israeli army
The Israeli prime minister reacted in an X post to reports that the US will sanction a unit of the Israeli army in the coming days.
“At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose a sanction on a unit in the [army] is the height of absurdity and a moral low. The government headed by me will act by all means against these moves,” Benjamin Netanyahu said.
We reported earlier on the possible sanctions, which will be against the Israeli military’s “Netzah Yehuda” battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank within days. Netanyahu also said that he has been working against the imposition of sanctions on Israeli citizens, adding that this is something he spoke about with United States officials.
The US and European Union imposed sanctions this week on extremist Israeli settlers accused of violent actions in the occupied West Bank.
Correction: You are the monsters of terror
Israeli government tries to preempt US sanctions against army unit
We’ve gotten quite a bit of Israeli reaction tonight all the way from the top.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the US decision, saying that he and his government would act against these sanctions [and that they were] “absurd and morally incorrect”.
We’re also hearing from war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz. He’s usually at odds with the Israeli prime minister. They’ve had a history of disagreements throughout this war but they seem to be in consensus this time, saying that this unit is an inseparable part of the Israeli military.
We’re also hearing from members of the far right, Ben Gvir and Smotrich, known ultra-nationalists who are saying that the move can not happen. This is a unit of the army that is specifically in the occupied West Bank that is for ultra-orthodox men. They have certain religious guidelines.
One US non-profit documented their human rights abuses from the year 2015 onwards and the list of violations is long. Reports within Israeli media say that this unit of the army is directly involved with the settler enterprise and the people… in it are members of the Hilltop Youth Movement, an ultra-nationalist violence settler group in the occupied West Bank who often set up these illegal outposts on Palestinian land.
US decision to sanction Israeli military unit ‘sets a dangerous precedent’: Gantz
We have another reaction to the US decision to sanction the Netzah Yehuda Israeli military unit for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz posted on X saying he had “great appreciation for our American friends”, but the decision to impose sanctions on an Israeli military unit and its soldiers “sets a dangerous precedent and conveys the wrong message to our shared enemies during wartime”.
“I intend on acting to have this decision changed,” he concluded.
The ‘Netzah Yehuda’ battalion is an inseparable part of the Israel Defense Forces. It is subject to military law and is responsible for operating in full compliance with International law.
The State of Israel has a strong, independent judicial system that evaluates meticulously…
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) April 20, 2024
Not happy with 12 (out of 15) votes for Palestine at the UNSC either
Israel to summon ambassadors of countries that voted for Palestinian UN membership
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein says Israel will summon ambassadors of countries that voted for full Palestinian UN membership “for a protest talk” on Sunday. Marmorstein’s comments came after the Palestinian Authority said it would “reconsider” its relationship with the US after Washington vetoed the Palestinian membership bid earlier this week.
Thursday’s vote saw 12 countries on the UN Security Council back a resolution recommending full Palestinian membership and two, the UK and Switzerland, abstain.
Only the US, Israel’s staunchest ally, voted against it, using its veto to block the resolution.
In a post on X, Marmorstein wrote: “The ambassadors of France, Japan, South Korea, Malta, the Slovak Republic, and Ecuador will be summoned tomorrow for a démarche, and a strong protest will be presented to them. “In addition, an identical protest will be presented to additional countries that voted for the Algerian proposal, which was rejected, to upgrade the status of the Palestinians”.
Palestinian presidency condemns US military aid for Israel
The Palestinian presidency says the US House’s approval of billions of dollars in new military aid for Israel marks “an aggression against the Palestinian people”.
The money would “translate into thousands of Palestinian casualties in the Gaza Strip” and the West Bank, said Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, calling it a “dangerous escalation”.
As we reported earlier, the House approved $26.38bn to “support Israel in its effort to defend itself against Iran and its proxies”, as well as reimbursing US military operations in response to recent attacks.
Pro-Palestinian activists demonstrate outside the Capitol in Washington, DC, Saturday
