Israel suspends military unit that assaulted CNN crew in West Bank
The ultra-Orthodox unit was filmed putting a producer in a chokehold during a West Bank report.
In a rare disciplinary action, the Israeli military has suspended the Netzah Yehuda battalion following a viral video showing its soldiers assaulting a CNN news crew. The incident occurred last week in the West Bank village of Tayasir, where the crew was reporting on surging settler violence. Footage shows soldiers from the battalion approaching the journalists with guns raised, yelling at them, and putting a CNN producer in a chokehold. The battalion, composed of ultra-Orthodox soldiers, has a documented history of abuses against Palestinian civilians.
This suspension follows significant international pressure, particularly from the U.S. government, after a prior incident in 2022 where the battalion's detention of a 78-year-old Palestinian American man led to his death. Following that outcry, the unit was moved out of the West Bank and officers were reprimanded or reassigned. The latest assault on international media highlights the ongoing tensions and rare accountability in the occupied territory, where settler violence has killed at least nine Palestinians this year according to UN data.
- The Israeli military suspended the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion after soldiers assaulted a CNN crew, putting a producer in a chokehold.
- This is a rare case of punishment for soldier misconduct; the battalion was previously linked to the 2022 death of a Palestinian American detainee.
- The incident occurred while CNN was reporting on surging settler violence in the West Bank, which has killed at least nine Palestinians this year.
Why It Matters
The suspension signals rare accountability for military actions against media and highlights ongoing violence and tensions in the occupied West Bank.