The Israeli Foreign Press Association (FPA) condemned on Saturday the “violent behavior” of Israeli soldiers against some journalists of the American television station CNN in the West Bank, as well as their “arbitrary detention”, the army announcing its intention to open an investigation, reports AFP, quoted by Agerpres.
On Thursday, a team of CNN journalists reporting on the consequences of an attack by Jewish settlers and the installation of an outpost near the Palestinian village of Tayasir (northeast of the West Bank) was taken as a target by Israeli soldiers, the FPA said in a statement.
Although the journalists were “clearly identified”, they and several Palestinian civilians were threatened, with Israeli soldiers pointing guns at them and ordering them to stop filming.
“A soldier approached a CNN photographer from behind, grabbed him by the neck, threw him to the ground and damaged his equipment. The team, as well as other Palestinians present, were subsequently detained for almost two hours, being deliberately prevented from carrying out their work,” the FPA denounced, stating that the entire incident was filmed.
🇮🇱 #Israelis #soldiers point rifles at 🇺🇸#U.S #CNN journalists… then choke one on camera
All while documenting an illegal settler outpost in the #WestBankwhere a 75-year-old man was reportedly beaten inside his home.
Source: #CNN https://t.co/6ohRqBK619 pic.twitter.com/ESUXgfT7TV
— VICTOR (@victorLiuFu) March 28, 2026
“The behavior of the soldiers in this incident does not represent the Israeli army, it is contrary to what is expected of its members and will be the subject of an investigation,” the Israeli army's international spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, said in a message on X.
The FPA, which represents several hundred journalists who cover Israel and the Palestinian territories for foreign media, said it had filed a complaint.
Earlier this month, the FPA criticized “an unprovoked attack” by Israeli police against journalists in Jerusalem, saying a CNN producer suffered a broken wrist.
