More to Israeli story than viewpoint of one solider

Daniel Teegan’s account of his conversation with an ex-Israeli soldier (Letters, December 17), depicts the IDF as a rogue force operating outside the norms of international law. 

If this is left unchallenged, it will reinforce the anti-Israel zeitgeist of the moment. He recounts how this young Israeli was trained to be aggressive and provocative, particularly at checkpoints.

To offer an alternative narrative, I will recount my conversation with a young member of the IDF, although unlike Mr Teegan’s, it was not with a traumatised and disenfranchised young man, but a serving major who understood the complex demands of defending his country from a never-ending cycle of terrorist attacks.