Days after a team of journalists was detained and assaulted in the West Bank, the Israeli military’s Chief of the General Staff on Monday said they are suspending the operational activities of the reserve battalion involved in the incident.
In a post on
Here’s why the soldiers are being withdrawn
The development came days after a team of cnn journalists was reporting from the Palestinian village of Tayasir, where their reportage was focused on the aftermath of the assault by settlers who had established an illegal outpost. During the incident, which occurred on 26 March, soldiers detained the team, while one of the soldiers put a photojournalist named Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold. The soldier’s move forced the journalist to the ground and also damaged his camera, cnn reported.
The report, citing a military official, said the assault on Theophilos will be probed by the country’s military police. The response came nearly two days after the incident was first highlighted. Additionally, the incident in the West Bank region also seems to highlight increasing concerns within Tel Aviv’s security establishment over escalating settler violence.
Soldiers withdrawn immediately
cnnciting an Israeli military official, said that the reserve battalion comprising hundreds of soldiers who served in the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion will be immediately withdrawn from the West Bank. These soldiers will be reassigned to training until further notice.
The suspended battalion is the reserve unit of Netzah Yehuda, an infantry unit created to integrate ultra-Orthodox Jews into the IDF while accommodating their religious practices, including gender segregation and strict observance. In recent years, however, the battalion, primarily deployed in the West Bank, has drawn members from radical right-wing settler groups, including the “Hilltop Youth.”
Eyal Zamir’s remarks on the incident
Sharing Zamir’s remarks on the incident, the IDF noted, “This is a grave ethical incident that is out of line with IDF norms and values. We all swore the soldier’s oath upon enlistment—weapons are to be used solely for the purpose of carrying out the mission, and never for revenge. We will not accept such incidents within the ranks of the IDF.”
This isn’t the first time that the Netzah Yehuda Battalion has made headlines. In 2024, during Joe Biden’s administration, the US indicated its plan to impose sanctions against the battalion, after 14 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank region.
Here’s all you need to know about the battalion
According to a reuters report, Netzah Yehuda is a battalion of the IDF, which was created in 1999 to enable ultra-Orthodox Jewish and other religious nationalist recruits to serve while adhering to their religious practices.
It has primarily operated in the occupied West Bank region and has drawn significant criticism over allegations of human rights abuses against Palestinians. Its formation aimed to make military service more accessible for these groups by accommodating religious needs, such as designated times for prayer and study, and limiting contact with female soldiers.
Media association condemns attack
According to AFP, an international media association, on 28 March, condemned the attack on CNN soldiers, calling it a “violent assault” by Israeli soldiers. The FPA, which called for an investigation into the incident, said: “This was not a misunderstanding … It was a violent assault on clearly identified journalists and a direct attack on press freedom.”
