Israeli army suspends battalion after attack on CNN journalists

The Israeli military announced that it has suspended all operational duties of a reserve battalion, CNN reports. This battalion was involved in detaining and assaulting a CNN crew in the West Bank last week.

The battalion, made up of hundreds of reservists who previously served in the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda unit, will be immediately pulled from the West Bank and reassigned to training until further notice, according to an Israeli military official.

The rapid and broad disciplinary measure by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir appears unprecedented, coming roughly 48 hours after CNN first reported the incident. The move also signals rising concern within Israel’s security apparatus over escalating settler violence in the West Bank.

The suspension stems from a March 26 incident in the Palestinian village of Tayasir, where CNN’s Jeremy Diamond and his team were documenting the aftermath of a settler attack linked to an illegal outpost.

During the operation, soldiers detained the journalists after one soldier placed CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, knocking him to the ground and damaging his camera.

By Jeyhun Aghazada