Were you sent on missions to the Territories during your basic and advanced training? Actually, we were deployed to Hebron, I did two-three days there. It was the first time I came face to face with Hebron. I remember guard duty, doing Tapuz Gross and the sentry post. Those were my first two army posts ever, besides those at the brigade training base.

What was the occasion, securing people on their way to prayers? Yes, Friday-Saturday. There were some really ludicrous incidents there.

Was this during your basic or advanced training? Advanced. To be on securing duty you have to be [on training level] 05 and up. Not always, but in the case of Hebron, if I’m not mistaken, it was mandatory. So I was on Tapuz Gross, at the time when it existed, manned by one soldier below and a commander. I recall a Palestinian municipality vehicle entering on the *** road, meaning through Abu Sneina, because the Palestinian municipality is the authority in charge of infrastructure there. I recall it came to maintenance some power lines, because they’re the ones taking care of the Jewish infrastructures, after all. That’s also pretty ironic.

To this day, it’s the Palestinians collecting the garbage? Of course. Everything. Electricity, water, the lot. So that vehicle came in, and then, I’ll never forget hearing this, I couldn’t believe my own eyes. A group of little kids, 4-5-6 years old were suddenly yelling, “Palestinian car!” and running out from the Avraham Avinu [settlement], with stones, towards the car. In the meantime, the car drives up to Tal Rumeida. Then I see my officer sprinting after them. Of course, they were nice enough to smash his windshield. Okay, it’s over. Of course, I carry on at Tapuz Gross feeling down. Six hours guard duty.

Was anyone arrested? No. 5-6 year olds, there’s nothing you can do with them. It’s like a joke.

The car comes down from Mani road, breaks left, climbs up Shuhada towards Tal Rumeida. Yes.

A group of children from Avraham Avinu stones it, smashes a window. I don’t remember, I think it was a crack or something.

It wasn’t a big group, more like three-four kids who just saw a Palestinian car and ran.

Did you try to detain anyone, talk to them? To whom? I can also tell you about recent events (the witness was serving in Hebron when he gave his testimony) that sound like a really bad joke. And then I see three mothers coming down from Tal Rumeida, talking: “Terrible, disgusting, really, how could they arrest them?” So I say, okay, very normal. “How could they stop the children? After all, they throw at us” or something of that nature. So I, suddenly, that was my first shock like that. A group of three mothers with a stroller talking about how unfair it is that their poor kids can’t throw stones at the municipality vehicle. I stare at them, thinking, what, where am I? Okay, you get to the sentry post, and that was the end of my first acquaintance with Hebron.

When you came there for that short time, did you get any instructions how to handle such cases? No. The fact is, first of all, we didn’t. At that time we came as reinforcement for ’31 (Nahal Battalion 931). What I can say is that when we got there, we were given nothing. No briefings, nothing. Never mind, that actually depends on ‘31’s security procedures. With us, as soon as companies arrive, let’s say my company commander really burns his soldiers before they first go up to the post. He refuses to let them go up without understanding what and how. But that’s his own insistence as a commander.

That was the only incident that weekend? Yes.