Interrogation of Terrorist from Tzomet Tapuach

What is your name?

Salam Zaghal.

Tell me about yourself.

Wait, is my lawyer almost here?

No, and you’re not going to see him for a few days yet either. Now—three years in jail wasn’t enough for you?

It’s not so bad there. We get 1,600 shekels every month from the Palestinian Authority to buy stuff at the canteen. Also a salary. We watch TV. Get family visits. Play with sports equipment the Red Cross brings. Great food. We’re treated as prisoners of war. I tried throwing rocks to kill, I didn’t manage, I got just three years. I got out of jail, went back to killing, and this time I did it.

But now you’ll serve much longer.

Really? Do you actually believe that? Either Hamas will get another soldier, or Abbas will put me on a list of prisoners he demands be freed. And if not this time, then next time around.

We at the ISA would oppose any such move.

Look, are you for real, or did you come to laugh at me while I’m lying in the hospital? You opposed the Schalit Deal too. We won.

Everyone’s learned the lesson. It won’t happen again.

I think you should take a look at Haaretz, boss. You remember Samir Issawi, the prisoner who went on a hunger strike? One of the ones who were freed in the Schalit Deal? He went back to “resistance.” Because of pressure from you at the ISA and Almagor at the Supreme Court, a condition was attached to the release, that if there would be any sort of minor violation, a prisoner would go back and serve his whole sentence—in his case, ten years.

So what? He went on a hunger strike. Your journalists stuck up for him, and Netanyahu decided to free him in another eight months. You didn’t see the letter they wrote for him in Haaretz? They were practically fawning over him.

Maybe I’ll go on my own hunger strike …

Cut out the political lectures. I want to know who’s behind you.

The whole Palestinian people. The radio stations—

No, no. Who sent you?

Listen to the radio! Look at the schools’ syllabuses that praise the shuhada (martyrs)!

You people don’t even listen to Abbas and Jibril Rajoub! They hold us up as national heroes. They’re the ones who sent me.

Let’s talk about what happened at the time of the attack.