The drive into the village of Jiljiliya is not what you expect on the West Bank. Imposing mansions line the route, with grand gates and lavish decorations.

That’s because this is where Palestinian Americans return to build their dream homes after years of hard work in the land of opportunity.

Like Omar Assad who came back after 45 years in Milwaukee. But for him, retirement was neither long nor happy. It was cut brutally short one freezing night in January 2022.

Middle East latest: Israel to receive billions from massive US aid package

He was returning from a game of cards when he was stopped at a makeshift checkpoint set up by the notorious Israeli army unit, Netzah Yehuda.

The IDF says he did not cooperate so the 78-year-old was detained with force.

Mraweh Mahmoud was with him.

“They took us down from the car and pushed me by the head,” he told Sky News. “The soldier was standing there and put an M16 in my head and said now I’ll shoot you.”

Mr Assad was tied up, gagged and blindfolded, Mr Mahmoud said, and forced to lie next to him. When the soldiers eventually left Mr Mahmoud realised Mr Assad was dead.

“I took his jacket off his head, I checked there’s no pulse, I shouted Omar, Omar,” he said.

Palestinian doctors say Mr Assad died in freezing temperatures of a stress-induced heart attack. An Israeli military report condemned the soldiers’ “moral failure and poor decision-making”.

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No link between death and soldiers’ errors, military prosecutors say

Netzah Yehuda’s battalion commander was reprimanded and two officers were dismissed but Israeli military prosecutors decided against pursuing criminal charges because they said there was no link between the errors made by soldiers and Mr Assad’s death.

But now the unit the soldiers came from is expected to be singled out by the US government and cut off from American funding, in the first-ever such move against any part of the Israeli military.

Reports claim the US State Department will apply the so-called Leahy Law against the unit, which prohibits US assistance to foreign military units guilty of gross human rights violations when their government fails to take sufficient action.

Why has Netzah Yehuda become infamous?

The Netzah Yehuda battalion was set up to help ultra-orthodox Jews serve in the army. It mixes religion and soldiering. But in its ranks are also elements of extremist settler groups.

It has become infamous, implicated in one case of alleged abuse of Palestinians after another, many of which its soldiers have filmed on their own phones. Its soldiers have been prosecuted for human rights violations and accused of unlawful killings, electrocution, torture and sexual assault.

Israel’s government has fought a rearguard action against the looming US action.

Its prime minister called the prospect absurd and its defence minister Yoav Galant showed solidarity with the battalion’s soldiers this week saying “no one in the world can teach us about morals and values”.

But one organisation of ex-soldiers opposed to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories says the Israeli government knows this could be just the beginning of action against its military.

‘They’re terrified of the possible results’

Ori Givati from the NGO Breaking the Silence told Sky News: “They understand that this might open the Pandora’s box of what the occupation really is, and how it looks like to occupy millions with the military.

“And if that Pandora’s box will be opened and it is starting to open in recent months, I think they’re terrified of the possible results because they want to continue to occupy.”

Back in Jilijilya, Mr Assad’s family welcomes reports America will act against the soldiers they blame for his death but say that’s not enough – they want them brought to justice too.

Nazmia, Mr Assad’s widow, said: “God willing it will be good if they do this, but also punish them like what they did with him, arrest them and fire them from their positions.”

TikTok has promised a court battle over a new law that threatens to ban it in the US – with the app’s boss saying “we aren’t going anywhere”.

President Joe Biden approved the law that states the platform will be blocked if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell it within nine months.

US politicians are worried the company could share user data with the Chinese government, despite repeated assurances from TikTok that it would not.

The bill was approved by the Senate on Tuesday as part of a $95bn (£76.2bn) aid package for Ukraine and Israel.

Mr Biden signed it off early on Wednesday – with TikTok’s boss swiftly hitting back in a video on the platform.

“Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere. The facts and the Constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail again,” said chief executive Shou Zi Chew.

A statement by the company added: “This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court.

“We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail.”

The legal challenge could argue a ban would deprive the app’s 170 million US users of their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech.

The law could also face opposition from TikTok creators who rely on it for their income, while China has previously said it would oppose a forced sale.

Why is TikTok facing a US ban?

Arthi Nachiappan

Technology correspondent

Attracting around 170 million US users in seven years, TikTok has taken America by storm. But there have long been concerns in Washington about the China-based ownership of the social media platform.

Beijing-based tech firm ByteDance originally launched the Chinese version of the app called Douyin, meaning “shaking sound”, in 2016. They followed up with an international version – TikTok – in November 2017.

Since then, the platform has had a meteoric rise. Fuelled by its popularity among Gen-Z, it has become an influential social media platform. But it has become a target for both sides of the political spectrum in Washington, as well as in other Western countries, due to fears over the use of user data.

Politicians and officials in the US have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over US user data. TikTok has said it has never done that and would not do so if asked. There are also fears over influence on Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok.

The use of TikTok by the federal government’s nearly four million employees on devices owned by its agencies is already banned in the US, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security research purposes. A similar ban is also in place for civil servants in the UK.

India was the first country to ban TikTok in 2020 following a violent clash on the India-China border that left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. Interestingly, TikTok is also not available in app stores in China – where the internet is tightly controlled by the state – and Douyin is used instead.

Last month, TikTok’s chief executive appealed to US users directly to stop the bill forcing the app’s sale and accused lawmakers in the US of attempting to shut down the platform. In a video posted on the platform, Shou Zi Chew told users the bill “will lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States”, adding: “Even the bill’s sponsors admit that’s their goal.”

The use of TikTok by the federal government’s nearly four million employees on devices owned by its agencies is already banned in the US.

However, there are limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security research purposes.

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Senate commerce committee chair Maria Cantwell said the move to force TikTok’s sale was not aimed at “punishing” ByteDance, TikTok, or other companies.

“Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our US government personnel,” she said.

The US Senate has voted in favour of legislation that could ban TikTok in the country – if its Chinese owners refuse to sell. 

The bill passed by a wide margin in the Senate on 23 April after being voted through in the House of Representatives.

But does the ban actually mean an end to TikTok in the US? How would it work – and could something similar happen in the UK?

What does the bill mean?

The bill gives Chinese company ByteDance nine months to sell its stake in the US version of TikTok – with the possibility of a three-month extension to finalise a deal – or the app will be blocked.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the goal is ending Chinese ownership – not banning TikTok.

But it is unclear if China would approve any sale or if it could go ahead within the timeframe.

There’s also a question mark over who would buy it – although if the legislation is passed, it could make the sale price cheaper.

“Somebody would have to actually be ready to shell out the large amount of money that this product and system is worth,” said Stanford University researcher Graham Webster, who studies Chinese technology policy and US-China relations.

“But even if somebody has deep enough pockets and is ready to go into negotiating to purchase, this sort of matchmaking on acquisitions is not quick.”

What would it mean for users?

The app is used by about 170 million Americans.

If it is banned, it would be removed from app stores including Apple and Google, and blocked on web hosting services.

This would remain in place until ByteDance sold TikTok.

However, it is likely users could still access the app using virtual private networks (VPNs) that bypass restrictions, according to telecom analyst Roger Entner.

Why is the US worried about TikTok?

Both the FBI and Federal Communications Commission have warned that TikTok owner ByteDance could share user data, such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers, with China’s authoritarian government.

TikTok said it has never done that and would not do so if asked.

The worry stems from a set of Chinese national security laws that compel organisations to help with intelligence gathering.

The US director of national intelligence has also said she “cannot rule out” that China would use TikTok to influence US elections.

Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell said the move to force TikTok’s sale was not aimed at “punishing” ByteDance, TikTok, or other companies.

“Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our US government personnel,” she said.

What happens now?

President Joe Biden will now sign the legislation.

He had already committed to signing the bill if it passed, despite his 2024 campaign officially joining TikTok in February.

However, the company will likely launch a legal challenge against the bill, arguing it will deprive the app’s 170 million US users of their First Amendment rights, which protect freedom of speech.

The company will need to file any legal challenges within 165 days of the bill being signed by the president.

It could also face opposition from TikTok’s content creators who rely on the platform for their income, while China has previously said it would oppose a forced sale of the popular app.

In November, a US judge blocked a Montana state ban on TikTok use after the company sued.

The passage of the bill could also change depending on the outcome of the November election.

Despite Donald Trump vowing to ban the app in 2020 on national security grounds – with his administration brokering a deal that would have had US corporations Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in TikTok – the presidential hopeful no longer supports a ban.

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Could something similar happen in the UK?

TikTok has not faced a nationwide ban in the UK, but in March 2023 it was banned from government devices.

This came after a review found there “could” be a risk to how data and information is used by the app.

Oliver Dowden said while TikTok use was “limited”, banning it was good cyber “hygiene”.

However, he stressed the government was not advising people against using TikTok in a personal capacity.

He told MPs: “This ban applies to government corporate devices within ministerial and non-ministerial departments, but it will not extend to personal devices for government employees or ministers or the general public.

“That is because, as I have outlined, this is a proportionate move based on a specific risk with government devices.”

The cabinet office said the move was taken because TikTok users are required to hand over data including contacts, user content and geolocation data.

What has TikTok said about the US bill?

TikTok urged senators to listen to their constituents before taking any action on the bill, which it said amounted to a ban.

A TikTok spokesperson said: “This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: It’s a ban.

“We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realise the impact on the economy, seven million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”

TikTok has also pointed out that there is no Chinese state ownership within ByteDance or representation on its board.

Crucially, it says it is incorporated outside of China – a fact that seeks to distance TikTok and ByteDance from coming under the influence of the Chinese intelligence law on information-sharing.