by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has asked the US not to proceed with proposals to sanction the IDF’s Netzach Yehuda (Judea Forever) battalion for alleged human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).
An exclusively male battalion made up of ultra-Orthodox and religious nationalist soldiers, Netzach Yehuda has been accused of violations against Palestinians in the West Bank before – particularly in the case of 78-year-old Palestinian-American Omar As’ad who died while being detained by the battalion in 2022.
Referencing reports that the US is preparing to sanction the battalion, Gallant said on Sunday: “I call on the US administration to withdraw its intention to impose sanctions on the Netzach Yehuda battalion.”
“Damage to one battalion affects the entire defense establishment—this is not the right path for partners and friends,” Gallant added. “Our friends and our enemies are closely watching the ties between Israel and the United States, now more than ever.”
Gallant went on to discuss Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. In a readout of the conversation delivered on Sunday night, the US State Department said: “[Gallant and Blinken] discussed efforts to protect Israel’s security and negotiations to secure the release of hostages, enable an immediate ceasefire, and increase the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The secretary also underscored the importance of measures to de-escalate tensions in the region.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Israel’s political crisis deepened this week as former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett renewed demands for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign over what critics have dubbed the “Qatargate” affair—claims that Netanyahu’s office and allies firmly reject as a manufactured scandal already dismissed by the courts.
The U.S. economy grew at a robust 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, marking its fastest expansion in two years, according to new data released Tuesday by the U.S. Commerce Department.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that President Donald Trump can’t use National Guard troops in Chicago to help federal immigration enforcement, in another blow to the president’s push for federalization nationwide.
Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah said late Tuesday that the country has suffered a “great loss” after its military chief was confirmed among eight people killed in a private plane crash shortly after takeoff from Turkey’s capital, Ankara.
The Netherlands remained on edge Tuesday after a car drove into a crowd of people waiting to watch a Christmas parade in the eastern Dutch town of Nunspeet, injuring numerous people at a time when Europe has faced several threats against holiday events.
Officials say massive Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine have killed at least three people, including a four-year-old child, while cutting power to several regions just two days before Christmas, as the country faces bitter winter cold.
The remaining 130 schoolchildren and staff abducted by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria last month — one of the largest mass kidnappings in the country’s history — have been freed, officials confirmed.