Blood, Water and Wine

Qana, as the British MP, George Galloway remindedmore.When Israel finally lost its twenty year war
his listeners (the show doesn't seem to be archivedagainst Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel asked the U.S. for
but he was accused of being an Israeli Mossad agentincreased contributions from American taxpayers to
on Sunday), is said by some to be where Jesuspay for bigger desalinisation plants. It seems that
turned water into wine. And as the roads of thissome of the money was refused by the Bush
village run with the blood of so many children, it is toadministration.According to a United Nations Economic
water rather than to Chateau Musar that analystsand Social Commission for Western Asia, Israel was
are turning their attention.Many have asked how itusing water from the Lebanese Litani River, by
can be that one of the world's most powerfulmeans of an 11 mile tunnel it had drilled, as well as
U.S.-taxpayer-subsidised armies on earth has not beenfrom Lebanons Wazzani springs (source: UPI). Note
able to defeat a guerilla army that has seeminglythat no journalists can get to the area to confirm
spent most of its money on social services ininformation about the siphoning of water and, indeed,
Southern Lebanon rather than rockets.such claims are contested (Aaron Wolf, in a U.N.
And why is Israel willing to cope with suchpublication, says there's no way Israel would dream
international opprobrium in order to free two soldiersof stealing from the Litani).But even whilst President
Hezbollah captured to catalyse a prisoner swap in aClinton and the Israeli government refused to
type of deal done many times before? Israel hasnegotiate over the right of return for Palestinian
even alienated some friends on Capitol Hill. It hasrefugees, Israel imported over 100,000 Jews into the
managed to get bad publicity for its cause on U.S.occupied West Bank. Those 100,000 use around the
networks, which normally are uniform in theirsame amount of water that one million Palestinians do
bias.Israel, it seems, wants a complete evacuation of(something to do with swimming pools, say partisan
Southern Lebanon so that international forces cananalysts). As the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
guard the area around the Litani river and ensure thatsays:"Israel's water economy is on the brink of a
the water flows to Israel. Whilst Israel has beencrisis."So what's a country supposed to do? Whilst
successful in stealing some of the 580 million cubicthis White House is willing to send more than $10 bn
metres of water a year, the Lebanese have a damworth of arms, it isn't going to send money to take
at Qarun."The entire basin of the Litani River isthe salt out of the Med? A neat buffer zone would
located within the borders of Lebanon. The river risesat least guarantee illegal supplies from the Latani.But
in the central part of the northern Biqa'a Valley, awill China and Russia and France go along with all this?
short distance west of Baalbek and flows betweenAnd why is the U.N. Secretary-General not raising the
the Lebanon mountain to the west and thehidden agenda? And why are hundreds of Lebanese
mountains to the east, running south andMuslim, Druze and Christian civilians paying the price
southwestardly at its own pace. The river enters afor this U.S.-Israeli plan? Secretary Rice's performance
gorge at Qarun, flows through it about 30 kilometershas been viewed as absurd by the international
and, near Nabatiya and the Beaufort Castle, abruptlycommunity. Henry Kissinger's "shuttle diplomacy" was
turns right (to the west), to break through thejust that. He "shuttled" between Syria, Egypt,
mountain range to the right, and continues to flowMoscow, Jordan and Israel, running circles around
through the hilly terrain of the al-Amal region. Northhapless Egyptian and Soviet politicians. Rice seems to
of Tyre, it empties into the Mediterranean."think she is reinventing the strategy of that scion of
(from Inventory of Conflict and Environment).Israelthe U.S. right...by "shuttling" between her laptop and
obtains over one third of its water supply from theEhud Olmert's drawing room. No wonder that the
occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. But it needsLebanese PM told her to go home.