The CNN crew led by reporter Jeremy Diamond was attacked on Thursday in the Palestinian village of Tajásir. The television there covered the consequences of a violent attack by settlers who had set up an illegal base in the village. The present reservists then forcibly detained the staff members. Photographer Cyril Theophilos suffered the worst, as one of the soldiers strangled him, pulled him to the ground and broke his camera.
The battalion, made up of reservists who previously served in the ultra-orthodox unit Necah Yehuda, must now withdraw from the West Bank and will be transferred to training until further notice, according to the Israeli army. Such a quick and extensive disciplinary action is practically unprecedented in the Israeli armed forces. American television reported on the incident in the Palestinian territory only on Saturday.
On Monday, the IDF called the whole incident a “serious ethical and professional failure” that is “incompatible with the values of the IDF.” “Weapons should only be used to carry out missions, never for revenge. We will not accept such incidents in the ranks of the IDF,” said Commander Zamir in the same statement.
According to the army, the reservist battalion will now undergo training “aimed at strengthening the unit’s professional and ethical foundations”. He will be able to return to active service only on the basis of the decision of the central command. The soldiers who took part in the incident also face individual penalties. At least one has already been dismissed from service. The attack on Theophilus is then dealt with by the Israeli military police.
The Necah Yehuda Battalion, where guilty reservists previously served, was originally established to allow the integration of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the IDF in accordance with their faith. In recent years, however, this unit, operating mainly in the West Bank, has attracted a significant number of radical right-wing settler groups, such as Hilltop Youth.
Former US President Joe Biden considered imposing sanctions on Necah Yehuda in 2024. After the start of the war in Gaza, the unit was supposed to have committed a number of human rights violations against the Palestinians, including killing them. Biden backed away from his plan when Israel provided him with information that the IDF had taken corrective action.
Journalists interviewed the soldiers in custody
While the CNN crew was in custody, several members of the reserve battalion gave statements on camera. A number of them, for example, stated that the West Bank belongs entirely to the Jews and the settlers are only taking revenge for the earlier killing of one of them. About the base in Tajásir, a soldier named Meir said that it is illegal, but with his help they are slowly legalizing it.
It is Meir who is the soldier whom the IDF has already released from service. Several of his superiors also received admonitions from the IDF leadership. On the other hand, CNN already received an apology on Sunday through the spokesman of the Israeli army, Lt. Col. Nadav Šošani.
The far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the punishment of the reserve battalion on Monday. He called the suspension of the battalion “a serious mistake that will harm our fighters and Israel’s deterrence capabilities”.
