The United States announced it would halt its decision to sanction an Israel Defense Forces unit.
Last week, it emerged that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would announce sanctions against the IDF’s 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion over alleged crimes committed during its time in the West Bank. On Friday, sources familiar with the matter told Axios that the U.S. was pausing the effort after Israel provided further information about the unit.
The reverse comes after intense flak directed at Blinken from the Israeli government, Congress, and within the administration itself. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, and other senior officials within the administration were among the most vocal opponents of the move, sources told the outlet.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to fight the move with “all my powers,” and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant painted it as an attack on the entire IDF.
“Gallant directed the defense establishment to act at all levels in order to make clear to the U.S. government the importance of backing up IDF operations, which are carried out according to international law,” the Israeli Ministry of Defense said after the sanctions were announced, according to the news outlet.
“Harming one battalion is damage to the entire IDF — this is not the way to behave with partners and friends,” Gallant said in a statement. “[T]his could be a cry for generations and open a dangerous door for this type of action.”
He added that he expected the Biden administration to reverse the decision, which it did on Friday.
The decision to sanction the Netzah Yehuda Battalion was made after months of deliberation and warnings. Two Israeli officials told the outlet that the Israeli foreign ministry and the embassy had been warning the IDF for months that such a decision was likely.
“The issue had been neglected by the senior IDF leadership and by the politicians. They ignored the implications of the Leahy law and thought they could dodge the issue without giving real answers to the Biden administration,” one official said, referring to a 1997 law that prohibits U.S. aid and cooperation with units suspected of committing human rights violations.
“All the alarms have been going off, but folks said it will be OK,” they added.
Though a temporary victory for the IDF, the prospect of sanctioning the Netzah Yehuda Battalion hadn’t been eschewed altogether — the decision was only paused so a further investigation could be conducted. The sanctions were paused after Israel questioned some of the evidence used to implicate the unit, particularly a 2022 TikTok video in which soldiers from the unit filmed themselves abusing Palestinian civilians.
The alleged crimes that caused the unit to be targeted were committed before Oct. 7 and took place in the West Bank, unrelated to the conflict with Hamas.
The battalion is made up of ultra-Orthodox Jews with an emphasis on accommodating their religious practices. Following the low enlistment rates among ultra-Orthodox Jews, the battalion recently began to accept far-right youth who were rejected from other combat units. It has not been involved in active combat operations in Gaza.
Among the human rights abuses cited was its involvement in the death of elderly Palestinian American Omar Assad, who died after he was handcuffed, gagged, and forced to lie on his stomach for an extended period. Israel launched an investigation into the incident but decided against pursuing criminal charges against anyone involved, choosing only to “reprimand” one of the commanders.
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The sanctions against the unit would prohibit it from receiving any U.S. military aid, participating in activities receiving American funding, and taking part in training with the U.S. military.
The Biden administration has sought to balance its own support for Israel with the concerns of progressive voters, who allege Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. So far, they have been outraged at Biden’s handling of the war, and many are threatening to withhold their votes in November if changes are not made.