IDF chief said to order removal of whole battalion from West Bank action after alleged assault of CNN crew

By Emanuel Fabian

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30 March 2026, 12:17 am

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Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

A masked soldier, identified as Meir, looks at the camera as he opens the door of the car where CNN correspondent Jeremy Diamond, left, sits detained in the northern West Bank village of Tayasir, March 26, 2026. (Screen capture: CNN)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has reportedly ordered the removal of an entire battalion from operational activity in the West Bank following an incident last week in which soldiers detained and allegedly assaulted a CNN crew.

The Menashe Regional Brigade’s 941st “Netzah Israel” Battalion, a reserve unit made up mostly of former soldiers of the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, was due to end its activities in the West Bank at the end of next month.

However, following the incident with the CNN crew, Zamir instructed to remove the battalion from operational activities early, according to soldiers serving in the unit.

The IDF has not yet commented on the move.

During the incident on Thursday, CNN’s Jeremy Diamond said a soldier put his cameraman in a chokehold as troops tried to prevent them from filming at an illegal West Bank outpost.

Soldiers in the unit were also caught on camera saying the entire West Bank belongs to Jews and that they were avenging the killing of a settler, Yehuda Sherman, days earlier.