The Israeli military has suspended all operational activities of a reserve battalion linked to the detention and assault of a CNN crew in the West Bank last week.
According to the military, the battalion, made up of hundreds of reservists who previously served in the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda unit, will be pulled out of the West Bank immediately and reassigned to training duties until further notice.
The decision, taken by Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, came less than 48 hours after CNN first aired its report on the incident.
The move is seen as one of the most far-reaching disciplinary actions taken by the military in recent times and highlights increasing concern within Israel’s security establishment over escalating settler violence in the West Bank.
The incident occurred on Thursday in the Palestinian village of Tayasir, where CNN correspondent Jeremy Diamond and his crew were reporting on the aftermath of an attack by settlers who had set up what authorities described as an illegal outpost in the area.
During the confrontation, soldiers detained the team, while one soldier reportedly placed CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, forcing him to the ground and damaging his camera equipment.
“The battalion will remain in reserve service and will undergo a process aimed at reinforcing its professional and ethical foundations. The battalion will resume operational activity upon completion of this process and subject to the decision of the Commander of the Central Command,” the military said in a statement.
An Israeli military official also disclosed that more disciplinary measures would be taken against individual soldiers involved in the incident.
The suspended battalion serves as the reserve wing of Netzah Yehuda, an infantry unit created to allow ultra-Orthodox Jewish men to serve in the Israeli military while observing strict religious practices, including gender separation.
However, the battalion has in recent years faced scrutiny over the presence of members tied to radical settler movements, including the “Hilltop Youth.”
In 2024, the administration of former US President Joe Biden reportedly considered imposing sanctions on Netzah Yehuda over accusations of serious human rights abuses against Palestinians, including beatings and killings.
Those sanctions were ultimately not implemented after Israel presented evidence that corrective measures had been taken.
During the detention of the CNN crew, several soldiers were recorded saying they believed the West Bank belonged entirely to Jews and that they were retaliating for the alleged killing of an Israeli settler earlier in the week.
One soldier identified as Meir acknowledged the outpost in Tayasir was illegal, but said it would “slowly, slowly” be legalized with his help.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the suspension of the battalion, calling it a “grave mistake that harms our fighters and Israel’s deterrence capability.”
CNN’s report sparked widespread discussion across Israeli media, with all major outlets covering the story and drawing renewed attention to settler violence in the West Bank and the role of the military in such incidents.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party and a former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli military, urged Zamir to take a firm stance.
He called on him to “clearly state to his subordinates below and the government above: There is no ‘permitted’ terror. Terror is terror. And terror is dealt with an iron fist.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli Journalists’ Union demanded that authorities prosecute the soldiers accused of attacking the CNN crew.
The disciplinary measures followed a public apology issued on Sunday by Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, who expressed regret over the incident and promised a swift investigation.
