4 'Israeli' settlers arrested following assault journalists

• Four settlers were arrested after attacking a CNN news crew and other journalists in the West Bank.
• The journalists were covering the anniversary of Saif Musallet's killing near Sinjil.
• Assailants damaged press vehicles and threatened reporters with weapons.
• 'Israeli' police condemned the attack and confiscated weapons from the suspects.

'Israeli' Police arrested four settlers on Saturday following a violent confrontation in the occupied West Bank that targeted international media personnel, including a news crew from CNN.

The media team had traveled to the perimeter of Sinjil, a village located north of Ramallah, to report on the one-year anniversary of the killing of Saif Musallet. Musallet, a Palestinian-American citizen, was beaten to death by a group of Jewish settlers at the same location last July.

Ambush 

According to reports from the scene, a group of settlers descended on the area within minutes of the journalists' arrival.

As the CNN crew and accompanying media personnel attempted to evacuate, four settlers utilized their personal vehicle to execute a road blockade, preventing the press convoy from moving forward.

The attackers, wielding wooden rods, metal bars, and stones, directly swarmed the trapped vehicles.

One individual brandished a knife and repeatedly slashed at the tires of the CNN vehicle in an attempt to puncture them.

Simultaneously, members of the group jumped onto the hood of a trailing car transport occupied by another team of journalists, completely smashing its front windshield.

Another faction of settlers attempted to cut off an alternate escape route before chasing the retreating press members toward the town center of Sinjil.

Official response

The standoff concluded when units from the 'Israeli' military and the 'Israel' Police arrived on the scene to disperse the attackers and clear the roadway for the press.

Officers successfully intercepted the suspects nearby, seizing their vehicle and uncovering an array of clubs and knives stowed inside the passenger cabin.

Following the arrests, authorities issued a formal joint directive addressing the targeting of international press corps members.

"The Israel Police and the (Israel Defense Forces) view any manifestation of violence or causing damage to property very seriously, especially when it concerns media personnel performing their work," police administrators stated.