A resident of one of the towns in the Binyamin Region recently published a number of posts calling for the release of the administrative detainees who were arrested after the murderous attack at Eli Junction.
At the beginning of the week, the settler received a phone call from the ISA who introduced himself as “Noam, from the Prime Minister's Office.” Noam calls the resident Nadav, despite him never having given his name.
“Are you alone?” Noam asks, in a low voice. “I got cut off the first time I tried to talk with you, when I hear people around. Can we talk privately now?” Nadav answers in the affirmative.
“I just wanted to take two minutes of your time,” Noam tells him. “As I said, I’m from the Prime Minister’s office, and wanted to have a completely private, ten- to fifteen-minute conversation with you about a security matter, tomorrow, at the Binyamin Regional Police Station.”
“Why would I ever agree to something like that?” Nadav asks.
“It’s not connected to the police,” Noam assures him. “It’s just a security matter that we wanted to check out.”
“That doesn’t sound logical,” Nadav answers.
“Why not?” Noam asks.
“Because I’m not stupid,” says Nadav.
“Look, I know you’re smart,” Noam says.
“How? How do you know me at all?” demands Nadav.
“I’m from the Prime Minister’s Office,” Noam explains. “I have personal information on you, and can prove it if you want.”
“The Prime Minister’s Office doesn’t have information on me,” says Nadav. “How do you even have my number?”
“Yes, we do. You’d be surprised. As I said, I can prove it to you if you’d like,” Noam says, ignoring Nadav’s attempts to object. “As I said, I’d love to meet with you at the -”
“No!” says Nadav. “There is nowhere in the world that I’d meet with someone that I don’t know who or what he is. Why would I ever do something like that?”
“That’s your decision,” Noam says reluctantly. “But if the security of the State is important to you, you should really come for just ten or fifteen minutes -”
“Why would I ever do something as stupid as that?” demands Nadav.
“I don’t think a contribution to the State is stupid,” Noam answers.
“A contribution to the State is certainly important,” says Nadav, “But I doubt it’s got anything to do with this. Contributions to the State don’t make all kinds of threatening remarks and ask for a ‘meeting about a security matter.’”
“Please, there is no need t feel pressure,” Noam assures him. “Take a moment. I’m not threatening you. I’m calling you because that’s the only method of communication I have. I’m in the Prime Minister’s Office I can’t call from my personal phone, surely you understand.”
“I also worked in the Prime Minister’s Office,” says Nadav. “What’s the problem with using your own phone?”
“Look,” Noam begins, “I don’t know which Prime Minister’s Office you worked in -”
“The one on the Avenue,” answers Nadav, citing the nickname of the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. “I worked there for not a few years, I know exactly what security is needed, I have all the security clearances, so don’t tell me stories about how you can’t call with a personal phone.”
“Sir, you’re just being difficult -” Noam says. Nadav cuts him off.
“Because I know exactly who and what you are, and I am not interested in cooperating with these kind of things. I’m not stupid.”
“Look, I’m not sure you understand. I just want to meet with you-”
“I’m not coming, and not interested. Good luck recruiting someone a little less clever.”
“Nadav, listen,” Noam answers. “I’m not trying to recruit you in any way. I can commit to that completely. I just want a ten- to fifteen-minute conversation with you about a security matter that I think you can help with.”
‘So you mean to tell me,” Nadav demands, over Noam’s denials, “That there is no connection between you and the ISA, or the Jewish Department, or the attempts to convince settlers to inform one on the other, and I’m imagining all that, because I don’t know how you’ve operated for years? Give me a break.”
“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about -”
“Congratulations, you’re fortunate enough not to know what I’m talking about,” says Nadav.
“Nadav, listen. I don’t know why you’re being so contrarian. It’s a security matter, why can’t you show some respect for someone else-”
“Why should I respect someone who won’t even identify himself?”
“I told you, I’m Noam, from the Prime Minister’s Office.”
“The Prime Minister’s Office is a big place. What department are you in?”
“Listen-”
“What building are you in - Jerusalem or Tel Aviv? I know a little bit about the Prime Minister’s Office, I’d love to chat about it - “
“I’m trying to explain to you, if you come to meet us, I can explain to you exactly who I am and what this is about. No one is going to try and recruit you for anything, that’s not even the right direction. It’s ten to fifteen minutes.”
“As I said, good luck recruiting someone less clever - “
“That’s completely not the direction we’re going here, not at all. Isn’t the security of the State important to you?”
“What do you do for the security of the State? I’d love to hear more about it,” Nadav says. “Are you in some kind of commercial contract? Police? ISA? VIP protection? I know a lot of people there, maybe I can check, find out that this is actually something good.”
“Listen, I’d love to give you more details, but not over the phone. If you really want to know what I do, we can meet.”
“If you really want to meet me, you’ll need to tell me who you are. Why would I meet with someone I don’t know? I don’t give out my credit card details over the phone, why would I meet with someone unknown? I have a little common sense.”
“Just a second. I see you’re smart. If you really don’t believe that I am authorized, I can give you your details, which will prove that I am working in the proper systems, and that I’m really from the Prime Minister’s Office.”
“What department?”
“Listen, that won’t help anyone. We can try and reach you again in perhaps another two weeks - ”
At this point another voice is heard in the background. Nadav tells the newcomer that he is speaking with ‘no one, from the Prime Minister’s Office,’ before telling Noam, “Listen, it’s not going to work with you this time. Find another patsy. Good luck.”
“Good luck to you as well, and have a nice day,” says Noam, and hangs up.
Nadav said after the conversation: “I immediately understood that this was an ISA man trying to recruit me. I assume that he contacted me because of posts on Facebook in which I express clear right-wing positions on the attitude towards the Arab enemy. Recently, I have shared posts and calls for the release of the Jewish administrative detainees who were arrested without trial and without evidence. The time has come to close the body known as the Jewish Department of the Shin Bet, which is busy all day only persecuting settlers and Jews instead of dealing with Arab terrorism.”
The Honenu legal aid organization commented: “To the thought police of the ISA, writing posts against the evil conduct of the regime is a reason for persecution and threatening calls. It's good that the citizens understand that it is forbidden to cooperate with this.”
Listen to the Hebrew recording: