Israeli Army withdraws battalion after assault on CNN Photojournalist in West Bank

The Israeli military announced on Monday that it had withdrawn a battalion from the West Bank following the assault of a CNN photojournalist last week in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The incident occurred as a CNN team was reporting on the aftermath of an attack by Israeli settlers and the creation of an illegal outpost near the village of Tayasir on Thursday. According to the Foreign Press Association, soldiers pointed guns at the CNN crew before one soldier approached French photojournalist Cyril Theophilos from behind, placed him 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, which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories. CNN corroborated the account.

In response, the Israeli military said the battalion involved would be suspended from operational deployment while undergoing a review to reinforce “professional and ethical foundations.” The unit will return to active duty only after completing this process.

This marked the second incident involving CNN in March. Earlier, a CNN producer suffered a fractured wrist in Jerusalem following an “unprovoked assault” by Israeli police officers.

Rights groups have reported a sharp increase in harassment, detention, and assaults on journalists in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023. The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists has listed Israel as a “top jailer of journalists” during this period, noting that at least 60 Palestinian journalists have been detained or jailed. Foreign journalists, while less frequently targeted, have often had weapons aimed at them at checkpoints or breaking news sites.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the region following Tehran-backed Hezbollah attacks on Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Israel launched air raids in southern Lebanon and carried out limited ground operations in border areas.

AFP