A CNN photojournalist was put in a chokehold by an IDF soldier during a live West Bank report, and Diamond’s crew was held for two hours

A CNN photojournalist was put in a chokehold by an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier during a live report in the West Bank. The incident led to reporter Jeremy Diamond and his crew being detained for two hours. The crew was covering rising violence in the West Bank, an area seeing intense clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.

According to Mediaite, the situation escalated when soldiers approached Diamond and his team, repeatedly ordering them to sit down. One soldier came up behind photojournalist Cyril Theophilos, placed him in a chokehold, and forced him to the ground. Theophilos’s camera was damaged during the scuffle, and Diamond’s phone was slapped out of his hand as he tried to question the soldier. Diamond said, “We’re journalists. What are you doing?!”

Their producer, Abeer Salman, clearly identified the group as journalists and even translated the soldiers’ commands. Despite this, the soldiers pointed their weapons directly at the crew and demanded everyone sit down. Diamond noted that the commander went straight for their camera, and within seconds, Theophilos was in a chokehold. Another soldier then smacked Diamond’s phone away.

The IDF claimed to be bringing order, but the CNN crew’s footage told a different story

The crew was detained for two full hours. Diamond observed that in the 24 hours before the incident, settlers had arrived and taken over a hilltop in the area, which had led to an increased military presence. He noted that a large number of soldiers were now in the area alongside the Palestinians.

While the IDF soldiers told Diamond that their purpose in the West Bank was to bring “order,” Diamond’s footage showed a different picture. He captured scenes of soldiers later claiming ownership of the land.  According to Diamond, the soldiers view the Palestinians in the area as the primary “threat,” and Palestinians there are regularly detained and questioned. Israel’s military conduct has drawn significant international scrutiny in recent months, including controversy over its weapon use in Lebanon.

The CNN crew experienced this firsthand, with soldiers detaining them and walking them back to their vehicle. Diamond reported that even though the soldiers claimed to be establishing order between settlers and Palestinians, it became clear as their cameras kept rolling that “these soldiers were actually there to support the settler movement.”

The IDF has not yet commented publicly on the chokehold incident or the two-hour detention of the CNN crew. The West Bank has seen a significant rise in violence in recent months, with both Israeli settler activity and military operations increasing in the region. 

Israel has also been carrying out bold military operations elsewhere, including striking Iranian military infrastructure at Tehran’s airport. The incident raises serious concerns about press freedom and the treatment of journalists in active conflict zones, particularly those who are clearly identified and not posing any threat.