Interviewer: Can you enter to carry out mapping or arrests in a Jewish settlement that’s under your jurisdiction?

 

Soldier: No, no, no. The only activity I ever had in Jewish settlements was in Yitzhar. In Yitzhar, they’re, like, wild, they’re hard core hilltop youth. Often, when military forces pass through there, just to get to other villages or something like that, an actual Jewish riot starts. One time, Israelis, Jews, injured the operations officer’s hand.

Interviewer: Why is a Jew who acts violently treated differently from a Palestinian?

Soldier: Because one’s Jewish and one’s Arab. Like, he (the Jew) is in a settlement, a settlement is a place where your job is to protect him, only to protect him, you’re the gatekeeper of the settlements and you’re, like, the angel who guards the area. From your point of view, Jews are the people who bring you food and, like, are nice to you when you’re on patrol, and, like, "thank you so much for protecting us." When you get to a situation where they’re also throwing stones at you, then it's suddenly a complex situation, it’s not that simple, like, it’s not that simple to use means (riot dispersal gear) against them. Don’t forget that they’re, like, "our own," not to be touched. Like, it would make sense to arrest them, but it’s more often the police that does this stuff, it’s not like some hilltop youth would be brought into military detention. Arab detainees would come sit in the base’s security post and you’d have to guard them, Palestinians, but never Jews, like not that, that wouldn’t happen. 

 

Interviewer: In the event that you identify a Jew behaving dangerously, what’s your authority as a soldier in the field?

Soldier: I don’t have the authority to do much. There were no clear procedures for this, but I'm sure that if I was in a situation like that, then first, I would call the company commander, of course, and more forces would come. I wasn’t in a situation like that, but if I had been, according to how I was trained and the military training I received, I would try to stop him. I would protect myself, defend myself, if he throws stones at me, then [I would] try and dodge them and try to talk to him.

 

Interviewer: What would happen if a Palestinian did that?

Soldier: If a Palestinian did that, suspect arrest procedure right away. Cock the weapon toward him, fire in the air if necessary, call forces immediately.