A Story About Israeli Xenophobia, Competing With the French For Sure!

I did have to do basic training, and that was in the West Bank, an area that was all Arab and known to have very hostile feelings towards anyone who wasn’t “in their tribe.” I can’t say that it was pleasant because it was fucking miserable, but every new recruit had no choice but to go through it. On my first tour of duty in the reserves, I was sent to the Golan Heights, an area that had been Syrian before the Six Day War. The population there was also hostile, but my problem was with the other reservists. In those days, I was definitely Orthodox, and the other reservists in the cabin with me were quite outspoken about how they hated the religious. I suffered enough from them, but on the last night I was there, the one who had been the ringleader of all the hostility against me said to me, “No way are you going to sleep tonight!” I said I needed to sleep because I was going home the next day.

I was in my sleeping bag when I smelled something that was not natural. I realized it was some sort of petroleum product. I looked out and it was lighter fluid! Another one of the reservists had a newspaper curled up and set ablaze; they were going to turn me into a fucking crepe suzette! I jumped out of bed, grabbed my boot, and clubbed the guy with the flaming newspaper over the head. I ran out of the cabin and went to the officer on duty — who said it was just a joke! I demanded to sleep elsewhere, so that much they did for me. However, before being released, I met with the base’s commanding officer…