After violence by Israeli soldiers against journalists from the US television channel CNN in the occupied West Bank, the army leadership has suspended an entire reserve battalion from service.
Mar 30, 2026, 4:15 a.mMar 30, 2026, 4:15 a.m
The military announced that night that the battalion would undergo a process to strengthen its “professional and ethical foundations”. A CNN team wanted to document the consequences of an attack by Israeli settlers and the establishment of an illegal outpost when they said they were attacked and forcibly detained by Israeli soldiers.
There are repeated conflicts between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank.Image: keystone
Serious allegations against Israeli soldiers
CNN filmed the incident. Correspondent Jeremy Diamond had written on X that the soldiers had attacked a photographer and detained his team. According to the international press association Foreign Press Association (FPA), the journalists had clearly identified themselves. But the soldiers repeatedly tried to prevent the recordings. One of the Israeli soldiers then put a CNN journalist in a chokehold, threw him to the ground and damaged his camera.
The association spoke of a direct attack on press freedom. The Israeli army command opened an investigation into the incident. The unprecedented suspension of an entire battalion was intended to serve as a deterrent among the soldiers, wrote the Israeli news portal ynet. The soldiers in the battalion were “shocked by the collective punishment”. Such a unit usually includes several hundred soldiers.
Increase in Israeli settler violence
With the start of the Gaza war two and a half years ago, there was a significant increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank. The Israeli security forces are repeatedly accused of not acting decisively enough or even siding with the aggressive settlers. (sda/dpa)