There were all kinds of other things that, in my view, which is a bit broader, are considered provocations. There was a certain village I recall, I don’t remember the name, perhaps Anabta. It’s next to the Jewish settlement of Enav. We knew of a certain group there, we were told of it in briefings, a group of just youngsters, not linked to any organization or anything, and they just shoot in the air every time army forces enter the village. Just making noise, not linked to any organization, not terrorists, just a show of force. Every time an army patrol enters the village, they shoot a bit in the air or something.

That’s what you were told in the briefing? Yes. The army wanted us to go in on some ambush, and another force would go in and patrol, and it was obvious that, like, there was a good chance we’d catch and simply kill them, shoot them from our ambush.

When was this? It was also around August-September, let’s say. I remember it well because I was very against it. Other guys on my team, too, objected to this kind of action. And that was the first operation where I really considered openly saying that I wasn’t willing to do it. It wasn’t something specific like ‘neighbor procedure’, but just saying I’m not prepared to go on this mission. Luckily, it was cancelled in the end.

Were you supposed to do a ‘straw widow’ (temporary commandeering of a house)? It was some kind of ambush in open ground, I don’t remember exactly. I think it was in open ground and we were simply supposed to wait, we knew more or less where they would hang out. Let’s say this case was simply the zeal of certain commanders in the unit, especially ***, the unit commander, to take down terrorists. Zeal that results in this kind of activity.

What was the atmosphere in the unit regarding the killing of terrorists? Respect for anyone who takes down a terrorist. That’s it.