"The settlers started provoking the soldiers, and at some point a knife
was drawn – a proper knife – and the settlers slashed the [IDF]
vehicle’s tires – right there in front of the soldiers’ faces. So, that
squad leader turned around, aimed his weapon at 60 degrees toward the
emptiness of Samaria – clearly in the most opposite direction of them
possible – and fired one shot in the air. The brigade commander
criticized him like crazy for that shot. It didn’t get to a brigade
commander hearing – but there was an inquiry at the brigade commander
level – possibly even the division commander level – into the fact that
he’d fired. Settlers slashed your tires? That’s an ‘incident.’ You fired
into the air, at 60 degrees, in the opposite direction? That’s an
‘incident’ that’s considered a very grave failure. And then the soldiers
ask, “What am I supposed to do in a situation like that?” And they were
told, “How is that not obvious to you? You need to get there and beat
the shit out of those Israelis, out of those Jews.”
