Israeli leaders condemn expected US sanctions, Netanyahu vows to fight it with all his might

Leaders successful Israel criticized imaginable sanctions that are expected to beryllium imposed by nan U.S. arsenic early arsenic this week against an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) subject battalion accused of violating quality authorities backmost successful 2022.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken could denote sanctions against IDF battalion "Netzah Yehuda" wrong days, marking nan first clip nan U.S. will person placed sanctions connected subject units operated by Israel. If Blinken follows done pinch nan sanctions, it could further strain relationships betwixt nan allies, which person already go tense arsenic Israel continues its warfare successful Gaza.

U.S. officials person not identified nan sanctioned unit, though Israeli leaders and section media identified it arsenic Netzah Yehuda, a battalion established astir 25 years ago.

Israeli officials person condemned nan expected sanctions, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he would reason them.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes nan play furniture gathering astatine nan Defence Ministry successful Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo)

"If anyone thinks they tin enforce sanctions connected a portion successful nan IDF, I will conflict it pinch each my might," Netanyahu said.

Some of nan battalion’s members person been linked to maltreatment of Palestinians. The group faced harsh disapproval from nan U.S. successful 2022 aft a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man, Omar Assad, was recovered dormant aft being detained astatine a West Bank checkpoint.

An autopsy conducted by Palestinian officials recovered Assad suffered a bosom onslaught caused by "external violence," adding he had underlying wellness conditions.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a news convention astatine nan State Department Harry S. Truman office connected March 13, 2024 successful Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The autopsy besides noted that Assad had bruises connected his head, redness connected his wrists caused by being bound, and bleeding successful his eyelids aft being tightly blindfolded.

The country’s subject besides investigated and recovered Israeli soldiers assumed Assad was sleeping erstwhile they trim disconnected nan cables binding his hands. When nan soldiers saw Assad was unresponsive, they grounded to connection aesculapian thief and near nan scene.

The Israeli subject said astatine nan clip that 1 serviceman was reprimanded, and 2 others were reassigned to non-commanding roles because of nan incident.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets pinch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) successful Tel Aviv, Israel connected Nov. 3, 2023. (Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The uproar from nan U.S. resulted successful Israel relocating Netzah Yehuda to bluish Israel successful 2022, aft it had been stationed successful nan West Bank. After nan onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7 by Hamas-led terrorists, nan battalion was relocated again to nan confederate separator adjacent Gaza. The battalion is now reportedly helping pinch nan warfare effort successful nan Gaza Strip, according to nan Israeli military.

"The battalion is professionally and bravely conducting operations successful accordance to nan IDF Code of Ethics and pinch afloat committedness to world law," it said. It said that if nan portion is sanctioned, "its consequences will beryllium reviewed."

Axios reported that if sanctions were imposed, nan battalion and its members would nary longer person immoderate type of training aliases assistance from nan U.S. military, according to sources.

The U.S. is prohibited nether nan Leahy Law, from providing immoderate benignant of overseas assistance aliases defense section training to countries responsible for alleged quality authorities violations based connected reliable information.

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Palestinians look astatine nan demolition aft an Israeli onslaught astatine a residential building successful Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, connected Jan. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

While speaking to reporters connected Friday, Blinken was asked about Israel’s violations of quality authorities successful nan West Bank and recommendations made by his section to trim subject assistance to definite Israeli units.

Blinken started by saying nan Leahy Law was important and applied crossed nan board.

"When we’re doing these investigations, these inquiries, it’s thing that takes time, that has to beryllium done very cautiously some successful collecting nan facts and analyzing them – and that’s precisely what we’ve done," he said. "And I deliberation it’s adjacent to opportunity that you’ll spot results very soon. I’ve made determinations; you tin expect to spot them successful nan days ahead."

Fox News Digital reached retired to nan State Department for comment.

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Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz respond astatine nan Israeli parliament during a caller authorities sworn successful chat astatine nan Israeli parliament connected December 29, 2022 successful Jerusalem, Israel. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

The Associated Press reported that Benny Gantz, a personnel of Israel’s War Cabinet, issued a connection saying he said pinch Blinken connected Sunday and told him nan determination is simply a "mistake." Gantz added that sanctions would wounded nan country’s legitimacy during a time of war.

The ligament work besides learned from 2 U.S. officials acquainted pinch nan sanctions that nan announcement could travel arsenic early arsenic Monday.

The officials reportedly said 5 units were investigated, and of nan five, 4 acted to remedy violations they were accused of committing.

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On Friday, nan U.S. imposed sanctions connected an state of Israel’s nationalist information curate and 2 entities that raised money for Israeli men who allegedly committed settler violence. The caller sanctions came successful summation to others placed connected 5 settlers and 2 unauthorized outposts earlier this year. 

Friday’s sanctions will reportedly frost U.S. assets held by those targeted, while besides barring American forces from dealing pinch them.

Fox News Digital's Andrea Vacchiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.