Blogging the Days Ahead

I told you to expect it.

Rumour has it that Blinken is going to designate one IDF group, the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, as ineligible to receive US military aid. For context, while Israel does have conscription, Netzah Yehuda does not have any draftees but instead is an all volunteer unit with members recruited out of Israel's far right ultra-orthodox religious sects. This part of Israel society has been exempt from mandatory military service - something they are looking to change now - so it's this battalion that represents where the IDF is headed.

There's some reporting about how Netzah Yehuda is responsible for 20% of the crimes where the IDF got indictments against their soldiers (this is prior to October 7) - but this isn't a useful statistic. The IDF almost NEVER holds their soldiers responsible for anything. This 20% actually represents 2 cases out of 11 from over the span of five years (2017 to 2021 inclusive). That said, the work done by Yesh Din on this is very useful as they provide a synopsis for each of the 11 cases.

In February 2019, five soldiers and an officer with the rank of lieutenant from the 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion were put on trial. According to the indictments, the soldiers punched a father and son who had been detained and beat them with various objects. The victims were handcuffed and blindfolded at the time. One of the soldiers filmed the abuse and the military court cleared the footage for publication. The five soldiers were convicted of aggravated physical abuse, negligent harm, and misconduct. As part of a plea bargain, the military court sentenced three of the soldiers to six months in prison and a demotion. Another soldier convicted of the detainees’ abuse was sentenced to five and a half months in prison and a demotion, and the fifth soldier was sentenced to two months in prison and a demotion. The military court sentenced the officer to 60 days in prison and a demotion to the rank of private.

There's that harsh military discipline we expect from the IDF. /s Of note - these guys were not booted from the military and may very well be serving in Gaza at this very moment. Here's the other case:

Three indictments were filed in 2021 against three soldiers of the 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion for aggravated physical abuse with a conspirator. According to the indictments, the three soldiers beat and physically abused a detained Palestinian. One of the soldiers pressed his weapon to the detainee’s head and threatened him, saying, “How about I shoot you...”. The other two soldiers relentlessly punched the detainee and beat him with their weapons while he was handcuffed, blindfolded, and lying on the floor of the military vehicle. Corporal H.A.K. was convicted of aggravated physical abuse with a conspirator and sentenced to 165 days in prison, a suspended prison term and a demotion. Sergeant S. A. was convicted of aggravated physical abuse with a conspirator, obstruction of justice and misconduct. He was sentenced to 135 days in prison, a suspended prison term and a demotion. Despite the serious charges, one of the indictments (Court-Martial Case Central (District) 282/21) was canceled. Yesh Din has no information about the reason for the cancellation.

Anyways, the 20% isn't particularly meaningful. From that time frame, 1,260 complaints about abuse of Palestinians were filed - and 11 resulted in indictments. For reference, this time frame (2017 to 2021) would have included the Great March of Return.

Anyways, the point I would like to bring up is - how the fuck can this be applied to one unit and one unit only? It would be reasonable if this was a rogue unit that went off the rails - but it isn't. It's the model unit for future Israeli military operations. And it is an inseparable part of the IDF. If the US has problems with what Netzah Yehuda has done, then their issue is with the government of Israel - not with that one unit. And to support that assertion, let me cite each of the three members of the war cabinet:

Netanyahu:

The U.S. is reportedly considering sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda, an Israeli Defense Force unit linked to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he would fight the sanctions “with all my strength”—joining liberal and conservative members of the Knesset in condemning the possible move shortly after the U.S. approved a $26 billion aid package for the Israeli military.

Gallant: 

“The entire defense establishment, the IDF and the State of Israel support you, appreciate you and strengthen you in your operations to protect the State of Israel,” Gallant told the Netzah Yehuda troops, according to his office.

And Gantz: 

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.

I suppose the follow-up question to Blinken would be - given the huge chasm between how the US views Netzah Yehuda and how the State of Israel sees them - why do you place any value whatsoever on Israeli investigations into wrongdoing? Quite obviously, the Israeli standard for this sort of thing is unbelievably deficient.