Netzach Yehuda: What is a military union and why is it on the agenda?

The Israeli government reacted to the yet unconfirmed news that the USA will cut off its military aid to the Netzach Yehuda battalion in the Israeli army.

US-based Axios news site stated in a report published on Sunday that Netzah Yehuda was targeted due to human rights violations by Israel in the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s main ally, Washington, has never before cut off aid to an Israeli army unit.

With this move, it will be the first time in the decades-long partnership between the two countries that a US administration will invoke the Leahy law against the Israeli army.

The Israeli army said in a statement on Sunday that it was “not aware of any US sanctions” against Netzah Yehuda and argued that the battalion was operating within the framework of international law.

Army officials said that “if a decision is made in this direction, the decision will be reviewed” and noted that “efforts will continue to investigate any unusual incident in a practical and legal manner.”

According to US sources, if it is decided to impose sanctions on Netzah Yehuda, the unit will be prohibited from receiving military aid or training from the US.

Washington has requested information from Israel several times about the results of investigations into Netzah Yehuda’s attacks against Palestinians, according to a report by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, citing Israeli officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called possible US sanctions “the height of absurdity and a moral nadir.”

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said US sanctions against a unit of the Israeli army set a “dangerous precedent”.

In his phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Gantz called on Washington to reconsider the decision.

Gantz said sanctioning the Netzah Yehuda battalion would “undermine Israel’s legitimacy” in wartime.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the seizure of all funds transferred to the Palestinian Authority through Israel in response to Washington’s proposed sanctions.

Ben-Gvir demanded the imposition of “a range of sanctions against Palestinian banks.”

Ben-Gvir also said in February that he planned to establish a Haredi battalion in the Border Guard and wanted to recruit ultra-Orthodox youth into the army.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the move “complete madness and an attempt to impose a Palestinian state.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid commented that “the Israeli army was the first to be affected by the government’s illegal policy and political failure” and emphasized that the sanctions against Netzah Yehuda were “a mistake”.

On the other hand, Israeli Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli called for the abolition of Netzah Yehuda, saying that the battalion’s “violent and corrupt behavior has been known for years.”

According to Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, many Haredi Jews refuse to join the army because they devote their time to studying the Torah and interpreting religious books.

But not all Haredi youth attend religious schools, so some enlist in the army under special conditions to receive religious education.

In 1999, a non-profit organization called Nahal Haredi was established, with Haredi rabbis as members.

Nahal Haredi worked with the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli army to recruit young Haredim who were not educated in religious schools into the army.

This cooperation led to the establishment of the Netzah Yehuda battalion, which consisted of thousands of Haredi soldiers.

Nahal Haredi says that “Haredi men adhere to the principles and restrictions that enable them to serve in prestigious positions in the Israeli army without compromising their lifestyle.”

The first unit consisting of 30 Haredi soldiers was established in 1999.

The unit was named “Nahal Haredi”, “Netzah Yehuda” or “97th Battalion”, inspired by Nahal Haredi.

The first Haredi combat battalion formed by the Israeli army began operating in Ramallah and Jenin.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that in 2019, the Israeli army decided to move the Netzah Yehuda battalion from Ramallah to Jenin.

In December 2022, Israel completely moved Netzach Yehuda from the West Bank.

However, army officials rejected claims that this change was made due to the behavior of soldiers.

Since then, the battalion has been operating in the north.

According to a report in the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post, the unit started fighting in Gaza in early 2024.

Former commander of the Israeli army, Aviv Kochavi, said that the Kfir Brigade, which includes the Netzah Yehuda battalion, can fight in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.

There are currently approximately a thousand soldiers in Netzach Yehuda.

The soldiers serve in the Israeli army for a total of 2 years and 8 months.

According to the Times of Israel newspaper, male soldiers do not interact as much with female soldiers and are given additional time to pray and complete their religious studies.

Members of Netzah Yehuda were accused of killing 79-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad near a checkpoint in January 2022.

Assad’s family said soldiers handcuffed his hands and left him on the ground. Assad was found dead lying on the ground.

Following the investigation, the Israeli military declared that “there was a moral failure and error of judgment on the part of the forces and serious damage was caused to the value of human dignity.”

Netzach Yehuda Commander was reprimanded for the incident, the commanders involved were dismissed, and the investigation into the soldiers was closed without a hearing.

The US State Department launched an investigation into Netzah Yehuda after several incidents of violence against Palestinian civilians in late 2022.

According to a report in Haaretz newspaper, the death of Omar Assad was also investigated.

Since October 7, the United States has imposed three different sanctions against settlers for acts of violence against Palestinians.

The Leahy law prohibits U.S. aid to governments with proven human rights abuses, according to the U.S. State Department.

Among the prohibited aid are educational programs of the US Department of Defense.

The US government considers “torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, and rape” to be grave human rights violations.

Leahy’s law applies when these crimes are proven.

The law was named after Senator Patrick Leahy, who pushed for this law in the late 1990s.