Israel-Iran conflict and war in Gaza, live | Netanyahu promised to fight with all his might any sanctions on the Israeli military. international

Netanyahu has vowed to fight with all his might any sanctions on the Israeli military

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would fight against imposing sanctions on any Israeli military unit for alleged rights violations, with some media outlets saying Washington was planning such a move. “If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) unit, I will fight with all my might,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

Axios news portal reported on Saturday that Washington planned to impose sanctions on the Israeli Netza Yehuda battalion, which operates in the occupied West Bank, although the Israeli military said it was not aware of any such measures.

On Friday, the United States announced a series of sanctions involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, in the latest sign of growing American frustration with the policies of Netanyahu, whose coalition government is dependent on settler parties.

Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz announced in a statement this Sunday that he had spoken to Blinken and asked him to reconsider the matter. According to Gantz, such sanctions would be a mistake because they would harm Israel’s legitimacy in a time of war and are unfair because Israel has an independent judicial system and a military that respects international law.

The State Department has declined to comment beyond US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statements on Friday. Blinken said on Friday he had made a “decision” regarding allegations that Israel violated a set of US laws that prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units committing serious human rights violations. .

Earlier this week, the investigative news organization ProPublica reported that a State Department task force known as the Israel Leahy Investigative Forum had months ago recommended to Blinken that several Israeli military and police units be shut down following human rights allegations. Be disqualified from receiving US aid for violations.

The reported incidents occurred in the West Bank and mostly occurred before Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on October 7, according to the outlet, resulting in frequent Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and riots in Palestinian villages. (Reuters)