After Opposition Leader Yair Lapid condemned sanctions that the US plans to impose on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion of the IDF this morning (Sunday), he was quick to blame right-wing ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich for the move. However, Israeli journalist Avishai Greenzeig presented the real story behind the sanctions, proving once again that Lapid is misrepresenting the facts.
Following reports of the impending sanctions, Lapid wrote: "The American sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion are a mistake, but the source of the problem is not at the military level but rather the political echelon. The world is aware that Minister Ben Gvir does not intend to have the police enforce the law in Israel and Minister Smotrich is not opposed to Jewish terrorism and extreme settler riots."
In response, Greenzeig mentioned the fact that Smotrich and Ben Gvir have nothing to do with the move against the religious battalion stationed in Judea and Samaria, and that in reality, it's the responsibility of Defense Minister Gallant, who has not even commented on the sanctions.
"By the way: the investigation against IDF soldiers, including the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, is not the authority of the police (Ben Gvir) and certainly not the Civil Administration (partially Smotrich) but of the Ministry of Defense and the military prosecutor's office, which are under the authority of Defense Minister Gallant," he wrote.
Greenzeig also mentioned the fact that the specific event behind the US administration's extreme reaction took place during the Lapid government. "It actually took place in January, 2022 - somewhere in the midst of the Bennett-Lapid government," pointed out the journalist.
