The IDF decided Monday to dismiss the soldier from Netzah Yehuda Battalion 941 who claimed he was acting out of revenge following the assault on a CNN crew near the village of Tayasir in Samaria. A second soldier who appeared in the footage may face a Military Police Criminal Investigation Division probe.
A senior officer described the sequence of events. "The reserve soldiers from Netzah Yehuda were sent to evacuate an illegal outpost and to serve as a buffer force until a Border Police unit arrived to complete the evacuation. That night, we had received reports of four illegal outposts – two in Menashe and two in Etzion, two of them in Area A."
The officer continued, "What you see in the footage is a sergeant and two soldiers who were sent to separate a friction point between Palestinians and Israelis, but who were being portrayed as people trying to help an illegal outpost. We should have handled that better. I respect the soldier who expressed himself as he did, but he crossed a red line in terms of his remarks and will be dismissed."
The officer added, "Regarding the second soldier, two photographers who arrived at the scene with six Palestinians, without press credentials, alleged he was violent toward them. A command disciplinary process is underway. He denies the allegations, but we will conduct a swift Military Police review of the claims. If no criminal suspicion is found, we will move to disciplinary action. The soldiers did not follow orders. Their conduct toward the media and their statements were serious."
He also noted that "the battalion commander, the company commander, and the platoon commander will be summoned for command discussions and dealt with accordingly."
In light of the incident, the officer said, "We have suspended the battalion's assignments in the defense sector, and it will be transferred to atraining base as a reserve unit. Over the coming week, the battalion will undergo an education program covering norms and values. I very much hope we can get through exercises on the following topics: soldiers' appearance and conduct, handling of media personnel, combat values, and the principle of ethical use of weapons.
"It was decided to halt its activities in the defense sector. It will carry out work in the coming weeks related to the profession, values, and an education series. The battalion will be transferred to reserve status. They will address dress and appearance, speech, discipline, and professionalism. The idea is to send a message about this incident. Personnel in the command chain will not be dismissed. They have been called up again and again under emergency reserve orders."
The officer also clarified there is no direct connection between the CNN crew incident and the assault and wounding of an elderly Palestinian by Israeli settlers that same night. "We were not able to verify those claims," he said. "At that time, there was a clan dispute and a road accident in the area, and the IDF carried out no activity during the night. The elderly Palestinian's injury was most likely caused by other circumstances or by Israeli violence," he added.
"That's where it exploded"
Sharp criticism from soldiers within the battalion followed the IDF's announcement of the dismissals the previous day. The battalion commander argued, "There were several previous incidents that led to this. The IDF did not let us do our job. We had frictions with radical left-wing activists who came to the checkpoints and prevented us from operating against them. The last straw was the CNN incident – and that's where it exploded."
Soldiers in the ranks voiced similar criticism. "This isn't about a single incident – we carry out every mission we are given, even when it looks bad in the media," they said.
