By Trendsetter Tribune 
In a rare and sweeping disciplinary move, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday, March 30, 2026, the immediate suspension of an entire reserve battalion from operational duties in the West Bank. The decision follows a high-profile incident last Thursday in which soldiers assaulted and detained a CNN news crew covering settler activity near the village of Tayasir.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir labeled the encounter a “grave ethical incident” that fundamentally contradicts military values.
The Incident: Chokeholds and “Revenge”
The suspension was triggered by footage captured and broadcast by CNN, showing a confrontation between soldiers from the 941st “Netzah Israel” Battalion—a reserve unit of the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda—and a team led by correspondent Jeremy Diamond.
- The Assault: Footage showed a soldier placing CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold and forcing him to the ground, resulting in injuries and damage to his camera equipment.
- The Detention: The news team and several Palestinian interview subjects were reportedly detained for nearly two hours while soldiers aimed weapons at them and ordered them to stop speaking.
- The “Revenge” Rhetoric: A soldier identified as “Meir” was caught on camera telling the journalists that they were seeking “revenge” for the recent death of 18-year-old settler Yehuda Sherman. The soldier explicitly stated that the West Bank belongs to the Jews and questioned, “What do you expect us to do?” if the state does not address settler murders.
Unprecedented Disciplinary Action
While individual soldiers are often disciplined for misconduct, the suspension of an entire battalion of several hundred troops is an “unprecedented” move by the IDF senior command.
| Action | Details |
| Immediate Withdrawal | The 941st Battalion has been removed from all West Bank duties and reassigned to a training base. |
| Individual Dismissal | The soldier recorded making the “revenge” remarks and far-right ideological statements is being dismissed from the military. |
| Criminal Investigation | The Military Police are currently investigating the soldier involved in the physical assault on the photojournalist. |
| Ethical Retraining | The IDF stated the unit will undergo a rigorous process to “reinforce its professional and ethical foundations” before any future deployment. |
The “Netzah Yehuda” Context
The battalion in question is primarily composed of reservists from the Netzah Yehuda unit, which was originally established to allow ultra-Orthodox men to serve while maintaining religious observances. However, the unit has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years for its ties to radical right-wing settler factions, including the “Hilltop Youth.”
- The IDF’s Stance: Lt. Gen. Zamir emphasized that “weapons are to be used solely for the purpose of carrying out the mission and never for revenge.”
- The Political Backlash: The decision to pull the battalion has sparked anger among some right-wing lawmakers. MK Boaz Bismuth, head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, criticized the move, claiming the senior command is “undermining the troops” and harming morale.
Freedom of the Press
In a formal statement, the IDF expressed regret over the incident and maintained that it “respects and enables freedom of the press.” A personal apology was reportedly issued to the CNN crew following the internal inquiry. For their part, the CNN team wrote that the ordeal “laid bare the settler ideology motivating many of the soldiers who operate in the occupied West Bank.”