The 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion (Hebrew: גדוד נצח יהודה, transl. 'Judah's Victory Battalion'), previously known as Nahal Haredi (הנחל החרדי), is a controversial^[2][3][4] 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.^[5]

Quick Facts 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion, Active ...

97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion
גדוד נצח יהודה
Combat pin of the 97th Netzah Yehuda
Active	1999–present
Country	Israel
Type	Infantry
Size	Battalion
Part of	Kfir Brigade
Area of operations	Judea and Samaria (West Bank)
Nickname(s)	Nahal Haredi (former name)
Motto(s)	And your camp must be holy (Devarim 23:15 = Deuteronomy 23:14).
Engagements	Israel–Hamas war
Website	idf.il/kfir-brigade
Commanders
Current commander	Lt. Col. Shlomo Shiran[1]

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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.^[6] 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.^[7] In December 2022, Netzah Yehuda was removed by the IDF from its traditional posting in the West Bank to a border posting in the Golan Heights where the unit would be less exposed to Palestinians.^[8][9]

In 2024, it was reported that the US State Department plans to sanction it under the Leahy Law for human rights violations 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.^[10]

The battalion was founded in 1999, and originally contained only 30 soldiers.^[11] As of 2009, the battalion had grown to over 1,000 soldiers, and has reached the status of a fully functioning battalion. The battalion recently marked its 20th draft.

The battalion runs like every combat unit in the IDF. Training in the battalion is that of IDF infantry: five months of basic training, followed by an additional six months of advanced training.

Today, at any given time, the battalion holds close to 1,000 soldiers, including two full companies in training, one company commencing active service, and two operation units: Palchod (Recon/ First Company) and Mesaiat (Rifleman Company). A third operational unit, Mivtzayit, was created in October 2009, due to the large number of soldiers joining the battalion in the most recent drafts. In the past, there was a small special forces platoon (Machsar) composed of soldiers from the battalion, but this was disbanded shortly after Lt. Colonel Dror Shpigel became commander of the battalion.

A volunteer all-Haredi computer unit has also been created within the Israeli Air Force. This, and the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, are seen as models for the possible future incorporation of Haredi conscripts into the IDF, should the present draft exemption for the ultra-Orthodox community be lifted.^[12]

Among the men who have served in the unit is Sergeant Almog Shiloni.^[13]

The battalion's motto is "V'haya Machanecha Kadosh", "And Your [military] camp shall be holy", (Devarim 23:15 = Deuteronomy 23:14), a phrase taken from the Torah describing the importance of keeping a Jewish military camp free of sin or ritually unclean objects (in exchange for Divine assistance in battle).^[14]

As the battalion places great emphasis on accommodating the religious needs of the soldiers, the Netzah Yehuda bases follow the most rigorous standards of Jewish dietary laws, and the only women permitted on these bases are wives of soldiers and officers, so that there would not be any interaction considered inappropriate according to Jewish religious law between men and women.^{[citation needed]}

As the battalion runs on a voluntary basis and does not draft soldiers, it is one of the few units in the IDF which depends on a recruitment mechanism for new troops.^{[dubious – discuss]} It actively recruits soldiers from ultra-Orthodox or Haredi, Religious Zionist or Dati Leumi, and the in-between Chardal families; there are also many volunteers from overseas who enlist.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2024, Axios reported that the US government plans to sanction the unit under the Leahy Law for human rights violations in the West Bank. The ban will prevent the battalion or any members of the battalion from receiving US aid or military training after an investigation by a State Department panel investigated and found sustained human rights violation by members of the battalion. ^[6]

Israeli leaders including Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz criticized these sanction plans on the grounds that the Israeli justice system independently and adequately responded to the reported human rights violations. ^[27][19]

• Chardal
• Hesder