An IDF soldier with Lebanese prisoners in Nabatiyeh, in 1985. Apparently someone had peeked into my file and decided that although I could no longer be relied on as a combat soldier, perhaps I could help guard detainees. Credit: Esaias Baitel/AFPFor one night during the 1982 Lebanon war, I was assigned to guard Lebanese detainees. But who actually guarded whom?11:59 PM • July 09 2026 IDTDuring the 1982 Lebanon war, while the Israel Defense Forces was sinking in the Lebanese quagmire, I suddenly received a call-up order and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. One of two things was happening, I thought: Either someone in the army is playing a joke, in which case it's a bad one, or maybe it was just the usual IDF chaos, where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.In the NewsThey Sat Bound in a Shin Bet Basement, Soaked in Urine. My Job Was to Guard ThemHaaretz CartoonAmericans Souring on Israel – but Not Warming to Palestinians, Poll FindsGender Segregation in Academia Is the Government's Divide and Conquer StrategyAndy Burnham Apologizes for U.K. Labour Party's Response to Israel's War in GazaRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe 'Special Relationship' Is Gone, and Israel Isn't Ready for What's ComingDumber Than a 10-year-old: Are Israeli Students Really That Stupid?An Israeli Principal Desegregated a Tel Aviv School. Here's What HappenedAs Israel Lacks Hundreds of Patrol Officers, West Bank Staff DoublesIsraeli Cop Filmed Throwing Stun Grenade Into Car, Trapping Palestinians InsideMade in Kurdistan, Smuggled via Jordan: The Mysterious Firearms Flooding Israel