The story in the [Jordan] Valley is that there’s no formal law. The law is set by personas. The Civilian Security Coordinator’s personality will have a big impact on how things run; the company commander’s personality will impacts how things run; and the personality of the guy that lives in the Bedouin tent across the way. It’s all dependent on personas. There are Civilian Security Coordinators who are very tolerant and have been living there a long time and know the population – and there are relations of respect with those around them. There are areas that Bedouin are not allowed to enter near the settlements, there are procedures, rules that the Israeli DCO (District Coordination Office) explained to us.

What did the DCO explain? 

200 meters [from the settlement]. As a reserve duty soldier, you don’t measure meters. You arrive, the Civilian Security Coordinator tells you, “200 meters is where you see the trees there – they can’t pass that.” I can’t tell whether it’s 150 or 200 meters, and I don’t care. In principal, the Civilian Security Coordinator defines the perimeter there. There are Civilian Security Coordinators that work on reaching understandings [with the Bedouin]: “You don’t come within 100 meters of the fence and we’ll be friends.” He tells the company commander: “The guy who lives here, his tribe came from Hebron, he's a car thief.” He already knows the family. And then he says [to the company commander] that “He knows that he can’t move past 100 meters, usually he’s fine…” Most of the time, the Civilian Security Coordinators are practical; each one is the sovereign in his land. In one of the settlements I remember the civilian security coordinator was very tolerant. He built himself a large goat pen, and he was in very good relations with the Bedouin in the area. It was clear to them not to mess with him, and he says, “When I need to, I flex my muscles.” These are the dynamics, like sheriffs. And you have other Civilian Security Coordinators who are less tolerant; there are those who rely more on the army and there are those who will tell you during an incident, “Come, I’ll tell you what to do.”