Category: Absurd

Netanyahu calls US sanctions against IDF unit ‘the height of absurdity’ and a ‘moral low’

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SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/04/netanyahu-calls-us-sanctions-against-idf-unit-the-height-of-absurdity-and-a-moral-low; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

The extent to which the Biden administration has been interfering in the business of Israel has become a provocation. An enemy is an enemy, but a fickle friend is dangerously unpredictable. Such is the Biden administration in its harassment of Israel at a time when Israel is embroiled in an existential war.

This is the first time ever that America has imposed sanctions on an Israeli military unit. It’s “absurd” and a “moral low,” as Netanyahu rightly states.

The sanctions follow “a special State Department panel that investigated alleged violations of human rights based on the Leahy law recommended months ago that Blinken disqualify multiple Israeli military and police units that operate in the West Bank from receiving U.S. aid.” Who are the members of this panel, and why now? They are clearly anti-Israel and biased. 

Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant has stated:

“The commanders and troops of the Netzach Yehuda battalion operate on the frontline – since the outbreak of the war. They have been working to push Hezbollah forces from the northern border to thwart terrorism in Judea and Samaria, and most recently, they are operating to dismantle Hamas brigades in Gaza. They are risking their lives and fighting terrorism. The battalion’s activities are carried out in accordance with the values of the IDF and in accordance with international law. Any event that deviates from the aforementioned standards is addressed accordingly.

Any attempt to criticize an entire unit casts a heavy shadow on the actions of the IDF, which operates to protect the citizens of Israel. Damage to one battalion, affects the entire defense establishment – this is not the right path for partners and friends.

Our friends and our enemies are closely watching the ties between Israel and the United States, now more than ever. I call on the U.S. Administration to withdraw its intention to impose sanctions on the Netzach Yehuda battalion.” (Courtesy: Israel Government Press Office).

The Biden administration is demonstrating its weakness and fickleness as Iran watches. Israel is faced with the consequences, while America will also pay an unknown price, but one that it will not evade paying. Iran regards Israel as “Little Satan” and America as the “Great Satan.” Iran will not stop its aggression against Israel. U.S. sanctions on an IDF unit only aid Iran.

“Netanyahu: Absurd for US to sanction IDF soldiers as they fight terror,” by Tovah Lazaroff, Jerusalem Post, April 21, 2024:

“At a time when our soldiers are fighting terrorist monsters, the intention to sanction a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on "X."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the United States for its plans to issue its first-ever sanctions against IDF units over alleged human rights violations, starting with the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which in the past has been accused of mistreating Palestinians.

Among the more high-profile incidents was the death of Palestinian American Omar As’ad, 80, of a heart attack in January 2022 after he had been detained, blindfolded, gagged, and handcuffed by that battalion in the West Bank.

Netanyahu calls for the government to act against move “I will fight this with all my powers,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli public in a video address.

Minister Benny Gantz, who is a former defense minister and IDF chief of staff, spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday and asked him to rescind the decision, which, he warned, “will harm Israel’s international legitimacy during the time of war.”…

Hamas Issues Counter-Proposal Hostage And Ceasefire Deal, Netanyahu Says Deal Is ‘Absurd’

Hamas Issues Counter-Proposal Hostage and Ceasefire Deal, Netanyahu Says Deal Is 'Absurd'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich attend the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv on January 7, 2024. (Photo by RONEN ZVULUN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by RONEN ZVULUN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:00 PM – Friday, March 15, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/hamas-issues-counter-proposal-hostage-and-ceasefire-deal-netanyahu-says-deal-is-absurd/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

In continuing negotiations over a temporary truce and hostage agreement in its conflict with Israel, Hamas has presented a formal counter-proposal, raising hopes for the first time in weeks that more Israelis kidnapped on October 7th may be freed and that hostilities may end.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that the terror group was making “ridiculous demands” during a meeting with the families of roughly 20 captives on Thursday night, raising doubts about whether the negotiations would move forward.

“For the first time, we can envision embracing them again,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group created to lobby for the captives. “Please grant us this right.”

Following weeks of contentious negotiations during which both Israeli and Hamas leaders voiced pessimism about finding common ground, a counter-proposal was made.

The conditions that Hamas has set forth call for the release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners from Israeli jails, including 100 who have been found guilty of murder or multiple murders, in exchange for the release of innocent hostages, which include women, children, the elderly, and the sick.

According to the proposal, Israel would have to agree to a long-term ceasefire, evacuate Gaza, and free all of the Palestinian security prisoners it is holding in order to free the remaining male hostages, whom Hamas views as “freedom fighters,” regardless of whether they were taken while serving in the armed forces.

At a meeting of his war cabinet on Friday, Netanyahu rejected the parameters, calling them “still absurd.” In addition, he declared that the Israeli army will keep getting ready for an impending invasion of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that has become a haven for about 1.5 million Palestinians. However, according to Israeli officials, many of whom are Hamas leaders and members.

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