Israeli police have arrested four Israeli settlers following an attack on CNN journalists and other media workers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.
The journalists had travelled to an area near the village of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, to report on the first anniversary of the killing of Palestinian-American Saif Musallet, who was allegedly beaten to death by Jewish settlers in July 2025.
According to CNN, shortly after the media crews arrived at the site where Musallet was killed, a group of Israeli settlers converged on the area.
As the journalists attempted to leave, four settlers allegedly used their vehicle to block the road, preventing the convoy from moving.
The settlers were reportedly armed with wooden and metal rods as well as stones, while one of them allegedly brandished a knife and attempted to slash the tyres of CNN’s vehicle.
The violence escalated when the group targeted another vehicle carrying journalists, jumping on it and smashing its windscreen.
A separate group of settlers also attempted to block another exit route before chasing the journalists toward the town of Sinjil.
Israeli police said officers, alongside soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces, responded to the scene, arrested four suspects and later located their vehicle, where clubs and a knife were recovered.
“The Israel Police and the (Israel Defense Forces) view any manifestation of violence or causing damage to property very seriously, especially when it concerns media personnel performing their work,” police said in a statement.
The incident comes a year after Musallet’s death, which drew international attention.
Following the killing in July 2025, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described the incident as a “criminal and terrorist act” and called for a thorough investigation.
However, Musallet’s father told CNN that no arrests have been made in connection with the case.
The attack also follows a recent incident involving US Representative Ro Khanna, who was detained by settlers near the village of Turmus Ayya in the West Bank.
The village is home to thousands of Palestinian-Americans who have repeatedly reported attacks by settlers.
Khanna had visited the community to express support for American citizens who, according to CNN, feel abandoned by their government.
“I saw the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers, 21- and 22-year-olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us, the arrogance of those young IDF soldiers that my tax dollars are funding, having no respect for the fact that they were detaining Americans, no respect that there was an American congressperson in that bus, and laughing when our translator told them that there are Americans there and the American embassy is concerned,” Khanna told Reuters.
Speaking to CNN’s Dana Bash on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said concerns over settler violence had “blown up beyond belief.” He described those responsible as a group of about 150 “juvenile delinquents” and said police and the military “take actions,” but argued that Israel’s courts “are very lenient” against those convicted of settler violence.
Despite Netanyahu’s remarks, reports indicate that violence by Israeli settlers has continued to increase across the occupied West Bank, with some incidents allegedly occurring in the presence of Israeli soldiers as the Israeli government continues to expand settlements in the territory.
