Prosecute Israeli Soldiers Who Assaulted CNN Reporters in the West Bank
Prosecute Israeli Soldiers Who Assaulted CNN Reporters in the West Bank
The Issue
On a Thursday afternoon in the Palestinian village of Tayasir, something happened that should not be possible.
A team of journalists — CNN correspondent Jeremy Diamond, photojournalist Cyril Theophilos, and their crew — were doing their jobs. They were covering the aftermath of a violent settler attack when Israeli soldiers surrounded them, grabbed Theophilos in a chokehold, forced him to the ground, and damaged his camera. Then they detained the entire team.
This was not a misunderstanding. It was not a moment of confusion. On camera, soldiers told the journalists that the entire West Bank belongs to Jews and that they were avenging a killing. One soldier admitted the settler outpost behind them was illegal — and said it would "slowly, slowly" be legalized with his help.
The Israeli military called this a "serious ethical and professional failure." The IDF suspended the battalion, dismissed one soldier, and reprimanded several commanders. That is a beginning. But reprimands are not accountability.
The battalion in question — a reserve unit tied to Netzah Yehuda — has attracted members of radical right-wing settler groups for years. The Biden administration nearly sanctioned the original Netzah Yehuda battalion in 2024 over allegations of gross human rights violations against Palestinians. Those sanctions were dropped after Israel promised corrective action. What we saw in Tayasir suggests that promise was not enough.
Journalists exist to bear witness to the truth. When soldiers choke and detain reporters for doing exactly that — covering violence against civilians — it sends a message to every journalist in every conflict zone: you are not safe. We cannot accept that message.
We are calling on Israeli military leadership and the Israeli government to fully investigate every soldier and officer involved in the assault on the CNN team, prosecute those found to have violated military law and international standards, and conduct a thorough review of how the Netzah Yehuda reserve battalion came to include soldiers who openly espouse settler extremism and act on it in uniform.
The IDF said this does not reflect its values. Prove it.
Photo: Cyril Theophilos/CNN
143
The Issue
On a Thursday afternoon in the Palestinian village of Tayasir, something happened that should not be possible.
A team of journalists — CNN correspondent Jeremy Diamond, photojournalist Cyril Theophilos, and their crew — were doing their jobs. They were covering the aftermath of a violent settler attack when Israeli soldiers surrounded them, grabbed Theophilos in a chokehold, forced him to the ground, and damaged his camera. Then they detained the entire team.
This was not a misunderstanding. It was not a moment of confusion. On camera, soldiers told the journalists that the entire West Bank belongs to Jews and that they were avenging a killing. One soldier admitted the settler outpost behind them was illegal — and said it would "slowly, slowly" be legalized with his help.
The Israeli military called this a "serious ethical and professional failure." The IDF suspended the battalion, dismissed one soldier, and reprimanded several commanders. That is a beginning. But reprimands are not accountability.
The battalion in question — a reserve unit tied to Netzah Yehuda — has attracted members of radical right-wing settler groups for years. The Biden administration nearly sanctioned the original Netzah Yehuda battalion in 2024 over allegations of gross human rights violations against Palestinians. Those sanctions were dropped after Israel promised corrective action. What we saw in Tayasir suggests that promise was not enough.
Journalists exist to bear witness to the truth. When soldiers choke and detain reporters for doing exactly that — covering violence against civilians — it sends a message to every journalist in every conflict zone: you are not safe. We cannot accept that message.
We are calling on Israeli military leadership and the Israeli government to fully investigate every soldier and officer involved in the assault on the CNN team, prosecute those found to have violated military law and international standards, and conduct a thorough review of how the Netzah Yehuda reserve battalion came to include soldiers who openly espouse settler extremism and act on it in uniform.
The IDF said this does not reflect its values. Prove it.
Photo: Cyril Theophilos/CNN
143
The Decision Makers
Petition created on 30 March 2026