Will US sanction Israeli battalion? Netanyahu vows to 'fight it with all my strength'

Some Israeli leaders are lashing out at reported plans by the Biden administration to sanction an ultra-Orthodox Israeli combat unit that for years has faced claims of abuse against Palestinians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the intention to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion as “the height of absurdity and a moral nadir.”

“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a (military) unit, I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

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Axios and the Israeli media outlet Haaretz, citing U.S. government sources they did not name, reported the battalion could be banned from receiving U.S. military assistance or training. The battalion, among other issues, was linked in the death of an 80-year-old Palestinian-American in 2022.

Haaretz said the Biden administration is considering sanctions against other military and police units in Israel. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said sanctions while Israel is fighting for its existence were “absolute madness.”

“This 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,” Smotrich said.

But Israeli Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli dismissed the government’s outrage as “yet another dose of denial and smearing, lies and covering up the bitter reality.” Michaeli described the battalion as a “regiment of ‘hill boys’ and just those who see religion as an excuse to attack Arabs.”

House passes aid for Israel: Ukraine, Taiwan also in package after months of fierce debate

Developments:

∎ Hamas condemned “in the strongest terms” U.S. House approval of a security bill that includes $26 billion for military and other assistance for Israel. The vote confirmed “the collusion and official American partnership in the extermination war” against Palestinians in Gaza, the militant group said in a statement.

A Palestinian man wait for news of his daughter as rescue workers search for survivors under the rubble of a building hit in an overnight Israeli bombing in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 21, 2024.

∎ Fourteen militants were killed, 15 were arrested, “a large amount” of ammunition and explosives were confiscated and two explosives laboratories were destroyed Sunday in an operation at the Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank, the Israeli military said. Nine soldiers were wounded, the statement said.

∎ A Palestinian woman who attempted to stab soldiers at a checkpoint in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley was “neutralized,” the Israeli military said. No troops were wounded at the Beka’ot Checkpoint.

Child saved from womb of dead mother after Gaza bombing

A baby girl was delivered from the womb of a Palestinian killed in Rafah as Israeli bombing intensified in the southern Gaza city, Palestinian health officials said. The baby, weighing a little over 3 pounds, was delivered by emergency C-section, was stable and was improving, Dr. Mohammed Salama said. At least 19 people, including 13 children, died when two houses were struck overnight, authorities said. Gaza is home to more than 1 million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled fled fighting elsewhere in the enclave.

“Here is the biggest tragedy − even if this child survives, she was born an orphan,” Salama said.

Hamas leader’s sister indicted on terrorism charges

An Israeli prosecutor has indicted an outspoken sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on charges of aiding a terrorist organization and incitement to terrorism, the Times of Israel reported. The indictment against Sabah al-Salem Haniyeh, 57, accuses her of sending two WhatsApp messages to dozens of her contacts, including her brother, “praising, encouraging and supporting” Hamas for its role in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed almost 1,200, resulted in more than 250 people kidnapped and ignited the war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

The State Attorney asked a court to hold her until legal proceedings have concluded. She faces a total of more than 20 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will US sanction Israeli battalion? Netanyahu vows to ‘fight it with all my strength’