Netzah Yehuda Battalion
The 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion (Hebrew: גדוד נצח יהודה, transl. 'Judah's Victory Battalion'), previously known as Nahal Haredi (הנחל החרדי), is a battalion in the Kfir Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. The purpose of the unit is to allow Haredi Jewish men to serve as combat soldiers in the Israeli military by creating an atmosphere conducive to their religious convictions in the strict observance of Halakha.
Since the unit's creation, it has attracted many members of a extreme religious-nationalist settler group called the Hilltop Youth who are infamous for establishing illegal outposts on Palestinian land that have no legal basis in Israel law. In recent years, the Netzah Yehuda battalion has experienced at least a half-dozen controversial cases involving its soldiers, resulting in jail time, discharge, or harsh criticism for assaulting or killing innocent Palestinians. In 2024, it was reported that the US State Department plans to sanction it under the Leahy Law for alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank, which would prevent the unit from receiving any kind of U.S. military assistance and would be the first time the U.S. imposed sanctions on an Israeli military unit.
Comments