The 914th Netzah Yehuda reservist battalion was not suspended, Yossi Levi, CEO of the Netzah Yehuda organization, announced on Tuesday, citing recent reports to the contrary.
The battalion had previously been said to have been suspended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday, following an altercation between reservist soldiers and CNN reporters in a West Bank town.
Leaked reports had indicated that the battalion would be suspended until it had undergone “a process aimed at reinforcing its professional and ethical foundations.” However, Levi stated, this was not the actual decision made by Zamir.
"The incident with the CNN reporters, which caused international reverberations, led to the Chief of Staff's decision to remove the battalion from the sector and allow the battalion to undergo pre-employment training, including moral and professional preparation," Levi said, "After which the battalion will return even better than before, along with being a reserve battalion for any volatile events in the Judea and Samaria Division."
Notably, Levi's position as CEO of the Netzah Yehuda organization is not an official military position, seeing as the organization is separate from the official battalion.
Levi emphasized that Zamir had told him that the battalion was "an excellent and leading battalion in the IDF," and also cited the Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, Brig.-Gen. Kobi Heller, as lauding the Netzah Yehuda battalion for its great achievements.
"The event, its results, and the numerous publications, constitute an unimaginable challenge for an outstanding battalion commander whose entire actions and purpose are to defeat the many enemies," Levi stated.
IDF soldiers detain CNN journalists in West Bank
Rumors of the battalion's suspension came after soldiers approached a CNN news team on Friday during an interview with Palestinian residents of the West Bank town of Nablus, telling both the CNN reporters and Palestinians to stop speaking.
In a video released by CNN, the IDF soldiers approach with weapons pointed directly at the news team, telling the crew to get down. Shortly after, the camera footage grew shaky when, according to CNN, their photojournalist was put in a chokehold.
CNN reported that the crew’s detention lasted two hours. Their Palestinian interview subjects were detained alongside them.
Following the incident, the IDF released a statement saying 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.”
Danya Saperstein and Shoshana Baker contributed to this report.