Gantz warns US sanctions on IDF unit would set ‘dangerous precedent,’ vows to fight them

Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz joins a growing chorus of criticism by Israeli politicians over the Biden administration’s reported decision to sanction the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion for alleged rights abuses.

Gantz calls the infantry unit “an inseparable part of the Israel Defense Forces,” adding that it’s “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,” the former IDF chief of staff writes in an English post on X.

Gantz adds: “I have a 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 war time.”

“I intend on acting to have this decision changed.”

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