Israel Withdraws West Bank Battalion After Assault on CNN Journalist Sparks Outrage
JERUSALEM — Israel’s army has withdrawn an entire battalion from the occupied West Bank after one of its soldiers assaulted a CNN photojournalist, an incident that has deepened global criticism of Israel’s treatment of the press, according to Arab News.
The confrontation happened last Thursday near the Palestinian village of Tayasir, where a CNN team was reporting on violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. According to the Foreign Press Association (FPA), soldiers detained the journalists while pointing their weapons at them. Moments later, an Israeli soldier allegedly put French photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, slammed him to the ground, and damaged his camera.
“This was not a misunderstanding. It was a violent assault on clearly identified journalists and a direct attack on press freedom,” the FPA said in a statement. CNN confirmed the details in its own report and called the assault “deeply disturbing.”
In a rare disciplinary action, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that the battalion involved was being pulled out of operational duty in the West Bank. The unit will now undergo “a process aimed at reinforcing its professional and ethical foundations” before resuming operations.
The incident has added fuel to growing outrage over repeated attacks on journalists in areas controlled by Israeli forces. Earlier this month, a CNN producer suffered a fractured wrist after what the network described as an “unprovoked assault” by Israeli police officers in Jerusalem.
Press freedom groups say these attacks are part of a worsening pattern. Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, rights organizations have recorded a sharp increase in arrests, harassment, and violence against reporters. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) lists Israel among the world’s top jailers of journalists, with at least 60 Palestinian reporters detained since the war began.
For many in the international press, the latest assault isn’t just another isolated act, it’s a worrying sign that telling the truth from the frontlines is becoming increasingly dangerous.
