IDF detains CNN journalists in the West Bank, one crew member injured, cameras damaged
IDF soldiers detained a CNN crew covering settler violence for at least two hours. One photographer was injured, and his camera was damaged.
The IDF detained a group of CNN journalists in the West Bank on Friday, damaging their cameras and injuring one photographer, the US news outlet reported.
The CNN team was interviewing Palestinian residents of the West Bank town of Tayasir after settlers established an outpost in the town and violently attacked residents.
While conducting interviews on camera, IDF soldiers ordered the team and the Palestinians to stop speaking and aimed their weapons at the group, according to the CNN reporters present.
One soldier then reportedly approached CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos from behind and put him in a chokehold, bringing him down to the ground, and damaging his camera in the process.
CNN reported that the crew's detention lasted two hours. Their Palestinian interview subjects were detained alongside them.
During that detention, the IDF soldiers shared their personal perspectives on Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank with CNN's Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond.
IDF soldiers spell out far-right ideology to CNN reporter
One IDF soldier, who identified himself to CNN as Meir, acknowledged that the settler outpost he was protecting in Tayasir is illegal under Israeli law.
“But this will be a legal settlement,” Meir said. “Slowly, slowly.”
When CNN asked if Meir was willingly helping make that become a reality, he responded, “Of course … I help my people.”
Meir and another soldier repeatedly stated to the reporters that all of the West Bank belongs to Israel and the Jewish people, echoing the rhetoric of far-right Israeli government ministers such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
They also reportedly openly labeled all Palestinians as terrorists and spoke of seeking revenge for Yehuda Sherman, an 18-year-old Israeli settler who was killed by a Palestinian driver who rammed his ATV into Sherman.
Local Palestinians dispute the accounts of Sherman's death and told CNN that he was trying to steal a sheep.
The soldiers claimed they had known Sherman personally and implied the incident had affected their official operations.
“If you had a brother and they killed him, what would you have done?” one of the soldiers asked the CNN crew.
"So that's revenge?" CNN responded.
"Revenge," Meir replied. “Listen, at the end of the day, if the state doesn’t address what they did – those who murdered the youth, what do you expect us to do?”
In response, the IDF stated that: “The actions and behavior of the soldiers in the incident are incompatible with what is expected of IDF soldiers operating in the Judea and Samaria area.”
The IDF told CNN the incident will be thoroughly reviewed. It did not respond to the outlet's questions regarding increased settler violence in the West Bank or the new outpost.
Settlers attack Tayasir
The CNN team interviewed a local Palestinian from Tayasir named Abdullah Daraghmeh, who was recovering in a hospital after reportedly being attacked by settlers in his home while he was asleep in bed.
Residents reported that settlers stormed Tayasir early Thursday morning, firing guns into the air and assaulting multiple Palestinians residents.
The 75-year-old man suffered a fractured skull as a result of the assault, along with multiple facial bone fractures, and lost several teeth.
“He was asleep… This is not normal,” his son told CNN.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-891464