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Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-798048
Netanyahu: Absurd for U.S. to Sanction IDF Soldiers as They Fight Terror
(Jerusalem Post) Tovah Lazaroff - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the U.S. for its plans to sanction the IDF's Netzah Yehuda Battalion, some of whose soldiers have in the past been accused of mistreating Palestinians. "At a time when our soldiers are fighting terrorist monsters, the intention to sanction a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low," Netanyahu wrote on X on Saturday evening. "In recent weeks, I have been working against the leveling of sanctions on Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with senior American government officials. The government I head will act by all means against these moves. Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces!" Former Defense Minister and IDF Chief-of-Staff Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's War Cabinet, wrote on X that "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 any claim of a violation or deviation from IDF orders and code of conduct, and will continue to do so." "I have great appreciation for our American friends, but the decision to impose sanctions on an IDF 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."