Little terrorists-in-training

Adar Bet 26, 5768, 4/2/2008

Little terrorists-in-training

You can imagine what went through the father's head: Yes, or No - Clobber him, or, Don't do it.
You may have seen the report from Hebron, a couple of days ago about an Arab youth who stole a woman's hat, across from Ma'arat HaMachpela. A you may, or may not know, many religiously observant Jewish women keep their heads covered, as regulated by Jewish law. An Arab on a bicycle flew by her, grabbed the hat on her head, and kept going.

A small group of Hebron residents arrived at the scene and demanded that the police and soldiers close Arab stores across from the Ma'ara, where the crime had occurred. "If you close their stores because of this, they (the shop owners) will bring you the culprit themselves!"

To no avail. Border police lined up in front of the stores to protect the Arabs.


Later that day the Arab was discovered, apprehended, taken to the police station and then released.

So much for him.

At about seven in the evening a scuffle broke out between some Arab youth outside Beit HaShalom, and some of the Jewish kids living there. One of the Arabs punched a little boy in the face and stole his bicycle. When the police arrived they asked for a description of the attacker. "Sounds familiar," they commented. They made their way to the home of the same youth who had stolen the woman's hat in the morning, and there they discovered the bicycle. The attacker was the one and the same Arab who had taken the hat hours earlier.

A little while later, the Hebron boy who'd had his bicycle stolen, and his father, were at the police station. As they were leaving they saw the Arab who'd attacked the boy sitting alone in the waiting room. You can imagine what went through the father's head: Yes, or No - Clobber him, or, Don't do it.

In the end, he didn't. His son went over and stuck his tongue out. And they left.

As they exited the police station, they heard gasps and screams coming from inside. Quickly police ran out and grabbed the Hebron boy's father.

"What did you do to him," they screamed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Can't you hear him? He's rolling on the floor in pain. What did you do?!?:"

The police pulled him inside and began interrogating him. Again and again, 'what did you do."

Finally he answered: 'my son went over and stuck his tongue out at him. Maybe he kicked him. That's all. Nothing else."

The police officer looked at him and said: "OK - if that's your story, let's check it out. There are cameras in the waiting room. Let's see what we have on film."

So, they all sat down together to view the Hebron night out at the movies, in the police station. And to their great surprise, and also chagrin, they discovered that it was as he'd said. He hadn't done anything to the Arab who'd punched his son.

It seems that the little terrorist-in-training has good teachers.