There was this story, even . . . How he was stuck and came out . . . Usually, these checks were efficient. The checks revealed mobile lathes, even weapons were found there, wanted people too, even by chance. Moreover, the Shin Bet [General Security Service] passed alerts, so, of course, they found all those things. They were efficient enough, these checks, from this point of view we continued to control the traffic artery.We had, I think, one story about a feeling of . . . a real show of contempt. This contempt wasn't expressed by abuse, simple abuse, but there is this known concept that enfolds everything within itself, and it is "breaking routine". In the name of breaking routine you can sometimes do. . . do very interesting things. The traffic artery had set times. Open hours were from 3 a.m to 8 p.m. Those were the traffic artery hours. Of course, there was a lot of pressure. They always closed it at 8 p.m sharp. There was something very strict about it. Sometimes there were 2-minute digressions. Sometimes we would ask permission to stay open another 15 minutes because it was a very busy day or because they had stopped the traffic just before, so that there were many vehicles waiting. We asked, and were usually approved. So, once, the center section commander, maybe the assistant commander, came and said that in the name of breaking routine, this time you'll leave at seven thirty, and this after a hard enough day. There was passage, but there were a few breaks in the middle. [so we asked] "Seven thirty? This breaking routine thing, what?". "Breaking routine is a very important concept, it's very important to do it, of course. It's part of our war, part of our dealing with a guerrilla war, see?"

And what happened? Vehicles were stuck there?Lots of vehicles were stuck. Breaking routine is a very important concept, very efficient, it's our way of dealing with things, but in that context, what was its meaning? We simply prevented scores of people who wanted to get home at the end of a day's work, I don't know what, from getting home. What have we achieved by this? Very unclear. At the same time, an operation took place which our battalion was requested to perform. At the intersection, slightly in front of it. First, we stopped the traffic. Even before that, I asked my company commander that we do it later (I happened to be in his command post) I asked why not do it later. Like, let's do it at seven thirty; we have to close the traffic artery anyway. He didn't agree, the battalion pressured him, he didn't agree. This way it's another 10 minutes, maybe a little more, actually the traffic artery was closed before. Look, I really have a great regard for my company commander, in many situations I've seen him stand up beautifully. Here, under a great pressure, because of great burnout, he too was a little . . . I think this was a show of contempt on the part of the brigade commander or the assistant brigade commander or whoever it was. And also on our part that we didn't raise our voices in protest against it, and later on we took from them some more minutes. I had a very bad conscience about it. That is, personally I did do something, I even said something, but . . . OK, even I as a company medic didn't . . . What could I say that would make him do something, but . . .