{"id":365322,"date":"2026-03-30T04:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T04:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/365322\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T04:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T04:54:10","slug":"idf-pulls-battalion-from-west-bank-action-after-alleged-assault-of-cnn-crew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/365322\/","title":{"rendered":"IDF pulls battalion from West Bank action after alleged assault of CNN crew"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Israel Defense Forces said early Monday morning that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had ordered the removal of an entire battalion from action in the West Bank following an incident last week<\/a> in which soldiers detained and allegedly assaulted a CNN crew.<\/p>\n

The Menashe Regional Brigade\u2019s 941st \u201cNetzah Israel\u201d Battalion, a reserve unit made up mostly of former soldiers of the Kfir Brigade\u2019s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, was due to end its activities in the West Bank at the end of next month.<\/p>\n

But on Friday, CNN\u2019s Jeremy Diamond said a soldier put his cameraman in a chokehold as troops tried to prevent them from filming at an illegal West Bank outpost. Soldiers were caught on camera saying the entire West Bank belongs to Jews and that they were avenging the killing of a settler days earlier.<\/p>\n

Two of the soldiers told the reporters they had been friends with 18-year-old Yehuda Sherman, whose death in a\u00a0suspected ramming attack<\/a>\u00a0near Nablus last Saturday triggered a\u00a0wave of settler violence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0CNN\u2019s reportage<\/a>, a soldier identified as Meir could be heard telling CNN Diamond that the soldiers were carrying out \u201crevenge\u201d for Sherman\u2019s death, adding: \u201cListen, at the end of the day, if the state doesn\u2019t address what they did \u2014 those who murdered the settler\u2026 what do you expect us to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n

Diamond and his colleagues wrote<\/a> on CNN, \u201cThe two hours we spent detained\u2026 laid bare the settler ideology motivating many of the soldiers who operate in the occupied West Bank \u2013 and the ways in which soldiers frequently act in service of the settler movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA masked soldier, identified as Meir, looks at the camera as he opens the door of the car where CNN correspondent Jeremy Diamond, left, sits detained in the northern West Bank village of Tayasir, March 26, 2026. (Screen capture: CNN)<\/p>\n

In response to the report, the IDF told CNN that \u201cthe actions and behavior of the soldiers in the incident are incompatible with what is expected of IDF soldiers,\u201d adding that the incident would be \u201cthoroughly reviewed.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Saturday night, Zamir spoke with Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and \u201cinstructed that he be presented as soon as possible with the main findings of the ongoing investigation\u2026 along with command recommendations,\u201d the military said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Now, the IDF said, following the investigation into the incident, Zamir has decided to end the battalion\u2019s operational activity in the West Bank early.<\/p>\n

The battalion\u2019s troops would remain on reserve duty and would undergo a learning process aimed at \u201cstrengthening its professional and ethical foundations.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the approval of the Bluth, the battalion would return to activity at the end of that process, the military said.<\/p>\n

The statement added that additional \u201ccommand measures\u201d against those involved in the incident would be taken, and further details about the investigation would be released in the future.<\/p>\n

Rising settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank are reported daily but rarely prosecuted. In recent months, repeated attacks \u2014 often from wildcat settler outposts \u2014 have led dozens of Palestinian families to flee<\/a> the northern Jordan Valley, where the incident took place.<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tYou appreciate our wartime journalism\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re really pleased that you\u2019ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.<\/p>\n

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing\u00a0exclusive content\u00a0available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n

Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a>
\n\t\t