I was in Hebron a thousand times, on weekends or for a whole week. I was there a lot. Once at the Worshipers’ Junction, this Arab grandmother came along and wanted to cross the street, and it was forbidden, so we started telling her it wasn’t allowed.

What street did she want to cross? The Worshipers’ Route. Instead of doing the whole detour, instead of going to the other side, and we weren’t allowed to let her pass.

Why not? Because on the Sabbath and high holidays there is absolute separation. Forbidden, no crossing.

What does “absolute separation” mean? It means only Jews can cross. Arabs are not allowed on this road and are not allowed to walk along it with their donkeys, because it’s dangerous.

What do you mean? If someone is riding a donkey next to the road, you have to make him get off the donkey and proceed by foot.

On what grounds? It’s dangerous, I guess? He’s a danger to the road if he is in any way elevated above it, something like that. It does make sense, come to think of it.

On donkey-back? Yes.

Were there people riding a donkey whom you forced to get off? All the time. Those were our orders. So all hell broke loose, this granny began to scream and cry and finally we let her across, because it really was inhuman to make her go all the way around. No alternate path was prepared for them, they have to walk in the mud through that valley. You see an 80-year old granny walking in the mud and tripping over the stones.

So you let her across? Yes. We did. And then there was a mess because someone else wanted to cross too, and there some settlers there began a fight, and there was swearing and they started throwing stones.

So what did you do? We came up to them, so they started throwing stones at us, too, and the Arabs are throwing stones at us… Those religious [Jews] yelled at us that we’re Arab lovers. We caught them, told them to go away, that we were not trying to hurt them, and the Arabs just left. But there was a confrontation. There always is, out there.

What are the instructions regarding Jews rioting? That was our main problem – there weren’t any instructions.

What do you mean? We only had instructions regarding Arabs.

And if a Jew threw a stone at you? Nothing. There was nothing I could do. I’d yell at him to stop it, what could I do? No orders, that’s the problem. That’s the source of the problem, no orders against Jews. In my opinion, in some of these places the Jews are far more dangerous.

Did you ask what you should do? No. Because you don’t begin to imagine that a Jew…