Tel Aviv, 21 April 2024 (dpa/MIA) — The Israeli government has reacted indignantly to reports that the US intends to impose sanctions on a controversial battalion of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, adding that his government would oppose such measures with all means at its disposal.

Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war Cabinet, said that imposing sanctions on the unit would set a dangerous precedent and send the wrong message "to our common enemies" in times of war.

Earlier the US news portal Axios reported, citing three people familiar with the matter, that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against the IDF "Netzah Yehuda" battalion for human rights violations in the West Bank in the coming days. This would be the first time that the US imposes sanctions against an Israeli military unit.

Netanyahu went on to write on X that he had campaigned against the imposition of sanctions against Israeli citizens in recent weeks, including in his talks with senior US government officials.

"At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose sanctions on an IDF unit is the height of absurdity and a moral low," he wrote.

According to the Times of Israel, Gantz said that measures would be taken to prevent this decision from going through. The infantry unit is "an integral part of the IDF" and is bound by military and international law. Israel has "strong and independent" courts that are able to deal with alleged violations, Gantz added.

The sanctions would bar members of the battalion from receiving military support or training from the US, Axios reported, citing its sources.

A US official said Blinken's decision regarding the battalion was based on incidents that took place in the West Bank before the attack on Israel on 7 October mounted by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas.

According to the Times of Israel, the battalion was associated with right-wing extremism and violence against Palestinians. Israel withdrew the unit from the West Bank in December 2022.

Israel took control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. More than 600,000 Israeli settlers live there today. The Palestinians claim the territories for their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital.