‘Sanctions on our soldiers are a red line’: Israel slams US move

Tel Aviv:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned a reported move by the United States to impose sanctions on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Neza Yehuda Battalion.

The sanctions reportedly target the battalion’s soldiers for alleged human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank. There are reports that the Biden administration will blacklist the battalion, which is considered elite by the Israel Defense Forces.

Mr Netanyahu said in a statement: “The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must not be subject to sanctions. Our soldiers are fighting a terrorist monster and the intention to impose sanctions on IDF troops is the pinnacle of absurdity and the nadir of morality. .” a statement on Saturday night.

“My Israeli government will use all means to oppose these moves,” he said.

Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich also criticized the US move. “Implementing sanctions against our soldiers is a red line,” Gvir said, adding that the move was extremely serious and “members of Neza Yehuda must be protected.”

He also called on Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, seen as a hawk in the Israeli government, not to give in to U.S. orders.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich issued a statement on the social media platform X, strongly opposing the US plan to impose sanctions on Netzah Yehuda. “The move to sanction IDF camps while Israel fights for its own survival is sheer madness. It is part of a planned move to force the State of Israel to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state and abandon Israel’s security,” he said.