Soldiers Reassigned After Arresting CNN Crew

An Israeli battalion that had taken a CNN crew into custody is back on duty after a month’s pause, according to a security insider. The unit belongs to the ultra‑Orthodox “Netzah Yehuda” group and has just finished a training session on ethics. Military radio says it will resume normal operations soon. On March 30, soldiers in the West Bank seized a CNN team that was filming settler violence. One soldier put photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, dropping him and breaking his camera. Within two days, the IDF chief suspended the whole unit – a move that has not happened before. The military police will investigate the assault, and the IDF called it a “serious ethical failure. ” The Central Command will decide when the soldiers can return.

The soldier who bit Theophilos has not faced extra punishment yet. Police are still looking into an earlier incident where a CNN senior producer, Abeer Salman, broke her wrist. On March 17, the journalist was part of a group watching Ramadan prayers outside Jerusalem’s Old City. Police moved the crowd and used stun grenades, then took two reporters to the scene. While they were released, a plain‑clothes officer twisted Salman’s wrist, fracturing it. Police said the journalists did not follow instructions and that their cameras seemed provocative. The Union of Journalists in Israel called this claim wrong. When asked for details, the police could not explain why any instructions were ignored or why a camera would be a problem. They have not said when the investigation will finish. This series of incidents shows tension between Israeli forces and journalists covering sensitive events. The military’s quick response to suspend a unit is rare, but the lack of clear disciplinary actions for individual soldiers raises questions. The police’s vague statements also leave many unanswered questions about the safety of reporters in conflict zones.

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