Overview
- The Israel Defense Forces removed a full reserve battalion from duty after CNN said soldiers assaulted and detained its team in the West Bank.
- The army said the unit will enter training to reinforce professional and ethical standards, opened a formal investigation, and the chief of staff called the case a serious ethical and professional failure.
- CNN recorded the clash, and correspondent Jeremy Diamond said a soldier put a CNN journalist in a chokehold, threw him to the ground, and damaged his camera.
- The Foreign Press Association said the crew had clearly identified themselves and called the incident a direct attack on press freedom.
- Israeli outlet ynet reported commanders cast the battalion-wide step as a deterrent as the West Bank has seen more settler attacks and repeated claims of weak enforcement since the Gaza war.