IDF chief says assault of CNN crew in West Bank ‘grave ethical incident’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says an incident this week in which reservists allegedly assaulted a CNN crew and trumpeted far-right ideology is a “grave ethical incident.”

“This is a grave ethical incident that is out of line with IDF norms and values. We all swore the soldier’s oath upon enlistment, weapons are to be used solely for the purpose of carrying out the mission, and never for revenge. We will not accept such incidents within the ranks of the IDF,” Zamir says in remarks published by the army.

The military says its investigation into the incident found “several failures in the conduct of the soldiers toward the reporters.”

During the incident on Thursday, near the site of an illegal settler outpost near the Palestinian village of Tayasir — in area A of the West Bank, which is supposed to be under control of the Palestinian Authority — an Israeli soldier was caught on camera telling a CNN reporter that the entire West Bank belongs to Jews and that they were avenging the killing of a settler.

“During the interaction with the reporters, one of the soldiers made inappropriate remarks that do not align with IDF values or with the mission of IDF soldiers in the area,” the military says.

However, contrary to the report and what the reservist appeared to claim, the IDF denies that the soldiers were assisting the illegal outpost. Rather, they had been deployed to the area to dismantle it, the army says.

Troops of Menashe Regional Brigade’s 941st “Netzah Israel” Battalion, a reserve unit made up mostly of former soldiers of the Kfir Brigade’s ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion, were sent to the outpost to “isolate” the area and prevent clashes between the settlers and Palestinians, before Border Police officers arrived to dismantle it, according to the military.

The outpost in question had already been evacuated twice before the incident with CNN, and again last night.

The IDF says its investigation into the incident found that “the soldiers documented in the incident were operating to prevent confrontations.”

“A team of journalists arrived at the scene together with several Palestinians. The soldiers operating in the area distinguished between the reporting team and the group of Palestinian individuals and conducted security checks on both groups,” the military says.

Regarding claims that CNN’s Jeremy Diamond and two of his colleagues were detained for about two hours, the IDF says that “after the security screening, the team was released, except for one team member, who was released after being identified as a journalist.”

Also during the incident, Diamond said a soldier put his cameraman in a chokehold as troops tried to prevent them from filming.

The soldier behind the alleged assault denies the allegations, which are currently being investigated by the Military Police.

“The allegation regarding violence used by one of the soldiers will be further examined by the relevant authorities, and further action will be determined in accordance with the findings,” the IDF says.

The IDF also denies any connection between the soldiers’ conduct at the outpost and the injury of an elderly Palestinian man — allegedly by settlers in the area the night before — as seen in the CNN report. The military says it has found “no indication that the elderly man was harmed by IDF soldiers” and that it has been unable to verify claims that the man was injured by settlers.

In a statement, the IDF says it “respects and enables freedom of the press in the area and regrets the incident.”

“It should be emphasized that during and after the event, direct contact was maintained with the reporters, including a personal apology regarding the circumstances,” the army adds.

Earlier, the IDF announced that the Netzah Israel Battalion was being suspended from operational duties in the West Bank. “The battalion will remain in reserve service and undergo a process to reinforce its professional and normative foundations,” the military said.