The 'Netzah Israel' battalion, made up of former 'Netzah Yehuda' members, has been suspended from operational activity following footage recorded by a CNN crew in the village of Taysir, in which soldiers attacked the crew and claimed that "all of Judea and Samaria belongs to Jews," "if you had a brother and they murdered him (referring to Yehuda Sherman – MG), what would you do?.. This is revenge," along with additional remarks about legalizing outposts in Area A. The decision to remove them from operational activity and conduct a process of "strengthening professional and values-based foundations" was made by the Chief of Staff on the recommendation of commanders. Two days earlier, against the backdrop of a new outpost being established in the same village, a violent attack occurred in which an elderly man was severely assaulted. According to a security source, a report was received at the operations center that settlers were attacking and firing into the air, and a military force arrived shortly after but found no findings or injured persons, and that the incident is under investigation. Two and a half weeks ago, we published an investigation in Haaretz about the immediate deterioration on the ground following the battalion's deployment in the area, which led within days to two communities abandoning their homes. Residents described "settlers in military uniforms," joint attacks and looting by settlers from the nearby outpost and soldiers stationed at the Taysir checkpoint, threats and abuse. Following the publication of the article, no statement was issued by the IDF Spokesperson regarding any change in the force deployed in the area. In response to inquiries from attorney Neta Amar Schiff, who represents the communities featured in the article, the legal advisor for Judea and Samaria claimed that the soldiers had arrived for "routine patrols" and that no claims of threats or violence against residents were known — despite these being described in detail in her submissions. My repeated inquiries to the IDF Spokesperson over consecutive days regarding various incidents received no specific written response, and finally, on the evening before the article's publication, a response was received stating, among other things, that "the claims mentioned are not known to the IDF and no complaint regarding them has been received. Should any such claims be received, they will be thoroughly examined… Submissions made through non-standard channels cannot serve as a basis for claiming that a particular matter was brought to the attention of the competent authorities." The bottom line: The IDF was aware of the conduct of this specific force in this specific area for at least two and a half weeks before the incident in Taysir. Instead of opening an inquiry and taking responsibility, the response given to the Israeli press and Israeli lawyers resembled a legal defense brief — and the battalion remained in place. The IDF would do well to address this as part of its investigation.

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