Israeli military suspends battalion involved in assaulting, detaining CNN crew in West Bank
Israeli Military Halts Operations of Reserve Battalion After CNN Team Detained and Assaulted in West Bank
On Monday, the Israeli military announced that its top general had suspended the operational activities of a reserve battalion tied to the detention and assault of a CNN crew in the West Bank the previous week. The battalion, consisting of hundreds of reservists who had previously served in the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda unit, is set to be withdrawn from the West Bank and reassigned to training until further notice, according to a military official.
The swift and comprehensive measure taken by Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, head of the Israeli military’s chief of staff, marks an unusual pace for such decisions, following CNN’s report just 48 hours prior. This move underscores rising worries within the Israeli security sector regarding the increasing settler violence in the West Bank.
The suspension was triggered by an incident on Thursday in the Palestinian village of Tayasir, where CNN’s Jeremy Diamond and his team documented the aftermath of a settler attack. The settlers had set up an illegal outpost there. During the encounter, soldiers detained the CNN team. One soldier used a chokehold on Cyril Theophilos, the photojournalist, causing him to fall and damaging his camera.
“The battalion will stay in reserve while undergoing a review to strengthen its professional and ethical standards. It will return to active duty once the process is done and after the Central Command’s approval,” the military stated.
A military official noted that further actions would be taken against the soldiers implicated in the incident. The suspended unit is the reserve division of Netzah Yehuda, an infantry battalion created to include ultra-Orthodox Jews in the IDF while preserving religious practices like gender segregation and strict observance.
Over recent years, the battalion—mainly based in the West Bank—has drawn members from right-wing settler organizations like the “Hilltop Youth.” In 2024, the Biden administration contemplated sanctions against Netzah Yehuda for alleged severe human rights abuses against Palestinians, including killings and beatings. The plan was withdrawn once Israel shared data showing the IDF had implemented corrective measures.
While detained, several soldiers claimed on camera that the entire West Bank was Jewish territory, asserting they were retaliating for an alleged settler killing earlier in the week. Meir, one of the soldiers, acknowledged the Tayasir outpost was illegal but insisted it could be legalized gradually with his assistance.
“This suspension is a grave mistake that undermines our fighters and Israel’s deterrence,” far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued.
CNN’s coverage drew substantial attention from Israeli media, with all major outlets reporting on the incident. This highlighted the settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and the IDF’s involvement. Yair Golan, leading the Democrats party and previously serving as IDF deputy chief of staff, urged Zamir to “clearly inform his subordinates and the government: There is no such thing as ‘permitted’ terror. Terror is terror, and it must be met with an iron fist,” he said.
The disciplinary step occurred a day after Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani apologized to CNN for the incident and promised a quick investigation. The Israeli Journalists’ Union demanded that military authorities fully prosecute the soldiers who violently assaulted the crew.