Why? Apart from the symbolism of olive trees, you know it’s the only source of livelihood for a lot of families.
You cut off branches? Not whole trees, but branches.
How did it work? You come in at night, [walk] several kilometers and find the spot, put up a camouflaged position with all the pipes and nettings, and then walk around with cutters and saws, gathering branches.
If they saw the cut branches and damaged tree-trunks, wouldn’t they realize you were there? If someone came to the grove, he could spot it from afar. I think that, in that specific case, someone did actually come along and he sat with us there for several hours until we left.
He sat with you because you wouldn’t let him go? Yes, yes. This guy just happened to come along and we couldn’t let him go, because he would have told people and then they would have known we were there, so we had him sit with us.
Handcuffed? Yes. I think he was handcuffed.
How old was he? A kid. 15-16 years old.