Joseph’s Tomb is a big operation. Once a month they agree to [let] the Breslover [Hasidim] (a branch of Hasidic Judaism) and people who seek to enter Joseph’s Tomb in so that people don’t go in individually each time, both risking their lives and making us have to come get them out of there. The entrance starts with forces taking positions around the tomb in a few circles, my company was usually responsible for the Balata refugee camp, later we’d also use the entrances to Joseph’s Tomb to arrest people who were rioting during the Joseph Tomb entrances. My company was responsible for preventing youths in Balata from throwing stones, Molotov Cocktails, firecrackers, towards the people going into Joseph’s Tomb or towards the soldiers guarding them. It’s usually a whole night from 1 AM to 5 AM, there are buses that enter the tomb each time in batches and our company stands at the gate to the Balata refugee camp, and they throw stones at us, we retaliate with [tear] gas, they throw stones at us, we retaliate with [tear] gas. There was one time where we also did a simulated entry to Joseph’s Tomb and arrested two or three youths who rioted, we went into Balata.

Who was in the buses in the simulated entry?It was bulletproof buses that go in.

Empty?Yes. The objective is to trigger the rioters who riot at Joseph’s Tomb and to arrest them and interrogate them.

Was there an actual riot?In the simulated entry? Of course there was.