Israeli PM Netanyahu says he will fight any sanctions on army battalions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after media reports said Washington was planning such a step.

Axios news site on Saturday reported Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel's Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has operated in the occupied West Bank, though the Israeli military said it was not aware of such measures.

On Friday, the US announced sanctions linked to Israeli settlers in the West Bank in the latest sign of growing US frustration with the policies of Netanyahu, whose coalition government relies on settler parties.

"If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), I will fight it with all my strength," Netanyahu said.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, a centrist former armed forces chief, said on Sunday he spoke to US secretary of state Antony Blinken and asked him to reconsider the matter.

The state department said Blinken spoke to Gantz and Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant about Israel's security, efforts to ensure the conflict in Gaza does not spread and the need for an immediate ceasefire and increased flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. The US statements did not mention sanctions.

Gantz said such sanctions would be a mistake because they would harm Israel's legitimacy during a time of war, and they were unjustified because Israel has an independent justice system and a military that keeps international law.

Blinken on Friday said he had made "determinations" regarding accusations that Israel violated US laws that prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights.

Earlier last week, the Pro Publica investigative news organisation reported a special state department panel known as the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum had recommended months ago to Blinken that multiple Israeli military and police units be disqualified from receiving US aid after allegations of human rights violations.

The incidents that were the subject of allegations took place in the West Bank and mostly occurred before Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza started on October 7, the outlet said.

Before the Gaza war, violence had already been on the rise in the West Bank, land the Palestinians seek for a state, and has risen since with frequent Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and settler rampages in Palestinian villages.

The Israeli military said the Netzah Yehuda battalion is an active combat unit that operates according to the principles of international law.

"Following publications about sanctions against the battalion, the IDF is not aware of the issue," the military said.

"If a decision is made on the matter it will be reviewed. The IDF works and will continue to work to investigate any unusual event in a practical manner and according to law."

In 2022, Netzah Yehuda's battalion commander was reprimanded and two officers were dismissed over the death of an elderly Palestinian-American who the unit's soldiers had detained in the West Bank, an incident that stirred concern in Washington.

There have been several other incidents in recent years, some captured on video, in which Netzah Yehuda soldiers were accused of or charged with abusing Palestinian detainees.