IDF Suspends Israeli Reserve Soldiers Who Detained and Assaulted CNN Crew Covering West Bank Confrontation
Israel’s military has suspended a reserve battalion of soldiers whose unit detained and assaulted a CNN crew in the occupied West Bank, according to the cable news network, which cited military officials Sunday.
The IDF said the battalion will be pulled from the West Bank immediately and reassigned to training while it undergoes what the military described as a process to strengthen its “professional and ethical foundations.” The unit will not return to duty until the review is completed and commanders approve it.
The network aired footage this weekend of the confrontation in the Palestinian village of Tayasir, where correspondent Jeremy Diamond and his team were reporting on the aftermath of a settler attack. During the incident, a soldier put CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, forced him to the ground and damaged his camera, according to the network.
The crew said they were held by the battalion for roughly two hours.
The military said further action is expected against individual soldiers involved.
The battalion is the reserve arm of Netzah Yehuda, an infantry unit originally created to accommodate ultra-Orthodox Jewish soldiers. In recent years, the battalion has drawn scrutiny over allegations of abuse of Palestinians and the presence of soldiers linked to hard-line settler circles.
The Biden administration weighed sanctions against Netzah Yehuda in 2024 over alleged human rights violations, including reported beatings and killings of Palestinians, but did not move forward after Israeli officials said corrective steps had been taken.
CNN’s footage appeared to intensify pressure on the Israeli military. According to the report and Diamond’s followup social media posts, several soldiers involved in the detention were recorded making statements suggesting the West Bank belongs entirely to Jews. Another acknowledged that the outpost at the center of the unrest was unauthorized but said it would “slowly, slowly” be legalized.
The response exposed divisions inside Israeli politics and security circles over settler violence and the army’s conduct in the West Bank.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the suspension, calling it a “grave mistake that harms our fighters and Israel’s deterrence capability.” But Yair Golan, a former deputy chief of staff and current opposition leader, backed the move and urged the military to make clear that “there is no ‘permitted’ terror. Terror is terror. And terror is dealt with an iron fist.”
The Israeli Journalists’ Union also called for the soldiers to face full prosecution.
The disciplinary action followed a public apology Sunday from Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, who told CNN the military was investigating the incident and pledged a swift review.
CNN’s report received broad coverage in Israeli media, drawing renewed attention to escalating settler attacks on Palestinians and the military’s role in policing it.
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