*** road is out of bounds (to Palestinians)?No, there a section where they can cross. Up to the triangle, there's this triangle there which I think is called Tenuvah Junction? I don't remember exactly.

And they can cross all along there?No, really only up to the triangle junction. Only those who live there, I think there's that doctor's house, if I'm not mistaken, who lives right inside the tunnel passing into the Jewish settlement, so they could only pass right there, but only they could, no one else. The Jews were permitted, of course, to move around all these places, but the Palestinians could only reach that triangle.

And there's friction between them?There's friction.

How is it manifested?How is it manifested? Saturday mornings. This is the story that I saw when I stood guard there, and realized to what extent, I don't know if I was imagining things there, but to what extent I didn't know reality as it is in Hebron. It was Saturday morning, six o'clock in the morning, and the kids were up and about. Jewish kids, probably on their way to the early morning prayer at the Cave of the Fathers or just out for an early morning stroll.They walked along Tenuvah road and alongside them were Palestinian kids also walking that road, coming back from their Ramadan prayers, and that's where the friction started. The Jewish kids let their dog loose against the Arab kids, to chase them and bark at them. The dog didn't bite them but was very close to bark at them, and verbal exchanges began.

What kind of dog?A pretty large one. Not a Rottweiler, but the kind with big fangs, how can I describe it to you? A mean-looking dog. Not a hunting hound but of that kind, you know, not some poodle or pincher. A rather large dog. They were walking with it and let it bark at the kids and ordered it to catch them, or something of the sort, and then somehow friction started. Naturally we tried to prevent this and told them: Go away, enough. We tried to stop this, and then they began to yell at us, that we were lefties, and I was there with my skullcap, so they said to me: How can you dare do this? You're lefties, you're always on their side. And then the Arab kids, who were the same age as they were, around six to twelve years-old, at the most, didn't take this lying down. After the Jewish kids urged their dog at them, they threw these little pebbles at them, and some kind of little riot began. We managed to prevent it, and actually separate them and yell at them. I yelled at those kids, just go home, get away from here. Why are you standing here on purpose? You stand here waiting for them to throw stones at you. I told the Jewish kids: You're the ones who started it.

You spoke to the Jews?I spoke to the Jews, yes. I asked them to stop and all. And they started this whole tirade about us being lefties, soft-hearted, and this and that. Finally they left, saying: just you wait, we'll show you what's what.

Where was the Border Patrol at the time?None of them were on the spot. Our company commander came along afterwards because we reported the incident on radio, everything that had happened.

The Border Patrol is right there in the outpost across the road.There was no Border Patrol present. They stand at the entrance to the Cave of the Fathers. They don't see. They have a lookout over Tenuvah road.

There was no Border Patrol intervention?No. The company commander arrived, but there was nothing left to do because the kids were already gone.

The Arab kids were also gone?Yes, they also went away. And you look at that and think: It's six o'clock in the morning, what are they doing up? They get up especially for this. I was there, I saw it myself. The Arabs did not provoke them, they didn't do a thing. I look on and say: what kind of upbringing is this? I must tell you I'm not from the bleeding heart side of the political spectrum, who only whine about what we Jews are doing to the Palestinians and how we're ruining them. I come from what I call the sane or logical side, on my part anyway, and this undermines me. I, who was involved in youth education in Tel Aviv, suddenly look on and realize this is how they behave. A kid their age right now on Saturday, the Sabbath, six o'clock in the morning, in Jewish neighborhoods inside Israel, never mind where, is asleep. He doesn't get up early and look for someone to harass and throw stones at. You look on and say: this is their life, that's their upbringing. All those words they were hurling, a kid their age in Tel Aviv or elsewhere inside Israel doesn't say such things, doesn't curse the way they did.

I've heard lots of swearing in Tel Aviv.No, just leftie and such, not telling you that you're selling us out, that you're siding with them, that you're against the State.

A six-year old says this?Yes, it's surprising. Six, seven, eight, you look at them and you're stunned. I worked with kids that age, I know they never use this expression, that you're selling out the State, and that you're a bleeding heart leftie, and that you're only concerned for the Palestinians and not for us and that you side with them the whole time.

Do they swear in Arabic?Not in Arabic, no. But you look at them and it's incredible the kind of upbringing they have, and it makes me furious. That's something that I cannot accept to this day. It's like the story we saw on television half a year ago, with Yifat Alkobi, with her calling the Palestinian woman a whore, and all of that. You look and you think: That's their upbringing out there. It makes me furious because this is not religious education; it's not the upbringing that a normal religious Jewish child receives. I'm also annoyed at the profanity of it and that it's really not to be done. It mustn't be done like this. I'm furious that this is the kind of education they get.

Were you present at that incident?I was, but it didn't end like that. It ended with him telling them: Just you wait, you'll see.

Who did?The Jewish kids said to the Palestinians: Just you wait.

That's usually how it ends, no?The first act ends that way. There's always a second act.

Six o'clock in the morning?Yes, and the whole world is still asleep at this hour.

And there's another act?Another act in this play. It takes place at noon, as I end my shift and go to sleep. When I get up in the evening I discover the sequel. From what I remember, another friend of mine was on duty at the outpost and he saw those kids come back and give the Palestinian kids a beating. I'm not sure it was the same kids who were hit specifically, I'm not sure they really knew how to identify them. I don't know to what extent they know each other out there. But these (Jewish) kids simply went out there and beat away, beat some Palestinian kid to a pulp. My friend left after that, Military Police came and interrogated him about this incident. I heard about it in the evening, that they actually left and came back, that they had their vendetta. I don't know whether they took it out on a kid who was involved with it originally or not, but there was a kid there, eventually, I saw him in the evening. When I was on patrol I saw that kid, his eyes were swollen, he'd been badly beaten.

How many were they against how many?I don't know because I wasn't present when the beating took place. My friend was the one who was interrogated. The kid was beaten to a pulp. You look at this, later on Saturday night while you're on patrol, and you can't believe this happened.

The same kids?I think they were the same kids. I can't be certain because I didn't see them. But I think it was the second act, sequel of that morning, since they had said: I'll be back.

What time was this?The "sequel" was around noon, while I was asleep.

Saturday afternoon?Saturday afternoon.

Do you know how many people are there at the outpost on Saturday afternoon coming back from the Cave of the Fathers?Plenty.

And they managed to beat him like that in front of all those people?I don't know, I wasn't there. I just know the end result. A kid looking like that.

How old was this kid?If I remember right, he was a bit tall for a six-to-eight year old. I think he was between ten and thirteen years old. So I don't know if he was at all connected to the original kids from the spat in the morning, perhaps he was just incidentally victimized.

Do you know that kid?No, I never saw him before, but I did see him on that patrol Saturday night. I saw him. When I got up I went in for a briefing and all, and we were told that there was this incident Saturday noon, and that kids went out and beat up someone because that same morning they had stones thrown at them. Then I saw him.

Where?On one of our patrols, close to the Cave of the Fathers, I think. Perhaps inside the Casbah itself.

How did you recognize him?All my friends said: see him over there? That's the guy who got beaten up and all that. You look and you don't believe your own eyes. I don't know if this heartache doesn't come from a sense of pity. I mean a person who looks like that, and has been beaten up.It doesn't make sense. I never knew this kind of reality before. That's what annoys me.This was new to me.

It annoyed you?It annoyed me. It touched me because I was in education. I don't know such things. I know kids exchanging blows, getting into fights, hitting each other back, but not this.

How do you deal with it? What do you say to these kids?I told them: It's six o'clock in the morning, what are you doing here? Why are you provoking them? I said: you're provoking them. They answered: they threw stones at us. I said: but you guys started. Don't stand here, they won't throw stones at you. Get away.

What did they tell you?What I told you, that I'm a leftie, bleeding heart, I don't remember all the words, but there were some very ugly ones. Israel-haters, the stuff they always produce. There's this regular verbiage.

They have their verbal arsenal.Exactly.

Where were their parents at the time?I think they were either at the synagogue or asleep. Not on the spot at the time.

Was this the only incident you witnessed during your two weeks there of Jewish children beating up Palestinian children?It was the only one I saw, but in general, Hebron, like I said, is a hopping city, but I mean in the negative sense. Not in the positive one.