The radio is broadcasting cheerful music . . . I meditated on the substance and destiny of this People who is capable of subtle delicacy, of such deep love for people and of such honest aspiration for beauty and nobility, and at the same time cultivates among its best youth youngsters capable of calculated, coldblooded murder, by knifing the bodies of young defenseless Bedouin. Finally the four have been consigned to the police but now they refuse to talk. . . . I phoned Ben Gurion. . . . From a juridical viewpoint this may be so, but from a public point of view this is a scandal.
Public opinion is definitely on their side.
He had the four furnished with arms, food, equipment, had them driven with the unit's car part of the way and ordered that their retreat be secured by his patrols. The officer did not rule out that Dayan, too, knew of the operation in advance. Arik is shouting that I have exposed the men to revenge in the case that they will fall prisoners while fighting in the army at any future time. The four are ready to confess on the condition that they will be guaranteed an amnesty. In the thirties we restrained the emotions of revenge and we educated the public to consider revenge as an absolutely negative impulse.