Four settlers were arrested after an attack on CNN and other journalists in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Israeli police said.
The journalists were near the village of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, to cover the anniversary of the killing of Saif Musallet, a Palestinian-American who was beaten to death by Jewish settlers last July.
Within minutes of arriving at the site where Musalleh was killed, Israeli settlers arrived. As the CNN crew and other journalists tried to leave, a group of four settlers blocked the road with their car and tried to stop the cars from moving on.
The four settlers owned wooden and metal rods and stones. One settler brandished a knife and tried to puncture the tires of CNN’s car.
The squatters then began jumping on a car behind the CNN office, which was occupied by another group of journalists, and smashed the car’s windshield. Another group of settlers attempted to block a separate exit route before pursuing the journalists towards the town of Sinjil.
When police and Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene, officers say they arrested four suspects before finding their vehicle nearby. Police said they recovered batons and a knife from the vehicle.
“The Israel Police and Israel Defense Forces take any violence or damage to property very seriously, especially when it involves media personnel doing their job,” the police statement said.
After Musalleh was killed in July 2025, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called it a “criminal and terrorist act,” calling on authorities to investigate. But Musalle’s father told CNN that no one was arrested after the killing.
Ro Khanna talks about being detained by Israeli settlers during a visit to the West Bank
Ro Khanna talks about being detained by Israeli settlers during a visit to the West Bank
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The attack on journalists came just days after US Rep. Ro Khanna was detained by settlers near the West Bank village of Turmus Aya. The village is home to thousands of Palestinian Americans who have been repeatedly attacked by settlers in the area.
Khanna visited the village to show solidarity with American citizens who told CNN they feel forgotten by their government.
“I saw the arrogance in the eyes of these settlers, 21- and 22-year-olds with guns, who were laughing because they detained us, the arrogance of those young IDF soldiers who are funded by my taxes, not respecting the fact that they were detaining Americans, no respect for the fact that there was an American congressman on that bus, and laughing when our translator told them that there were Americans there and the American embassy was worried,” Hanna said Reuters.
Dana Bash presses Netanyahu over ongoing settler violence in the West Bank
Dana Bash presses Netanyahu over ongoing settler violence in the West Bank
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In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the problem of settler violence has “grown to incredible proportions.” He described the perpetrators as a group of 150 “juvenile offenders.” He said the police and military are “taking action” but courts in Israel are “very lenient” towards those convicted of settler violence.
Despite Netanyahu’s claims, the West Bank has seen a surge in settler violence – some accompanied by incidents of Israeli soldiers failing to act – coupled with the Israeli government’s rapid expansion of settlements throughout the territory.