Early in the morning, the Jordan Valley is the largest most open place. Yellowy-brown fields stretch out in diagonal parallel rectangles, with a few clumps of green pretending to be trees. Hills nudge each other, with no shadows. The roads are empty. The most beautiful place in the world.

El-Farisiya is full of children. It’s the summer vacation. I accompany a unit along the Allon Road. At Ein Sukkot, there are two escorts in case there’s trouble. In the morning, the whole family and I tried to put splints imported from China onto the legs of two-year-old Uday to straighten his bow legs. We were unsuccessful. At first, the kid enjoyed the fuss being made of him, until he understood it would be hard to walk with the splints and told us to send them back to China. Typical of the Chinese.

Samur has toothache and from time to time he cried bitterly. I understand there’s no dentist in the area. What can you do? You suffer!

Later in the day, I was called to accompany two women, a mother and her daughter, and the 13 cows they still have to the spring, to quench their thirst. We waited for the car parked beside the pool to leave, in case it was hostile, and then we went down to the spring. We both drank our fill and returned. The men of the family were in the village above, accompanying a bridegroom to the wedding, and they spent the night there.

The cousin arrived on the other side of the road and asked us to take him to their pasture and bring water to his brother, the shepherd, who was thirsty. We drove to Ein Shek, went down a dirt track until it was impossible to go any further. The shepherd brother met us there. He took the water, and asked for help against settlers who come, or who are likely to come. He’s afraid to be alone. We drove back to El-Farisiya and two escorts from Ein Sukkot went to Ein Shek.

The morning passed quietly. Precisely when I had taken the person who had brought the water back to his home, I received notification that Gilad, the regular settler, had come to “visit” El-Farisiya. By the time I got there, he’d left. He had made a lap of honor to make his presence known, and that was it.

In the afternoon, another escort arrived to replace me. He said he’d stay there until the next escort came.

God help them!