| Qana, as the British MP, George Galloway reminded | | | | more.When Israel finally lost its twenty year war |
| his listeners (the show doesn't seem to be archived | | | | against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel asked the U.S. for |
| but he was accused of being an Israeli Mossad agent | | | | increased contributions from American taxpayers to |
| on Sunday), is said by some to be where Jesus | | | | pay for bigger desalinisation plants. It seems that |
| turned water into wine. And as the roads of this | | | | some of the money was refused by the Bush |
| village run with the blood of so many children, it is to | | | | administration.According to a United Nations Economic |
| water rather than to Chateau Musar that analysts | | | | and Social Commission for Western Asia, Israel was |
| are turning their attention.Many have asked how it | | | | using water from the Lebanese Litani River, by |
| can be that one of the world's most powerful | | | | means of an 11 mile tunnel it had drilled, as well as |
| U.S.-taxpayer-subsidised armies on earth has not been | | | | from Lebanons Wazzani springs (source: UPI). Note |
| able to defeat a guerilla army that has seemingly | | | | that no journalists can get to the area to confirm |
| spent most of its money on social services in | | | | information 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 such | | | | publication, says there's no way Israel would dream |
| international opprobrium in order to free two soldiers | | | | of stealing from the Litani).But even whilst President |
| Hezbollah captured to catalyse a prisoner swap in a | | | | Clinton and the Israeli government refused to |
| type of deal done many times before? Israel has | | | | negotiate over the right of return for Palestinian |
| even alienated some friends on Capitol Hill. It has | | | | refugees, 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 their | | | | same 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 can | | | | analysts). As the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| guard the area around the Litani river and ensure that | | | | says:"Israel's water economy is on the brink of a |
| the water flows to Israel. Whilst Israel has been | | | | crisis."So what's a country supposed to do? Whilst |
| successful in stealing some of the 580 million cubic | | | | this White House is willing to send more than $10 bn |
| metres of water a year, the Lebanese have a dam | | | | worth of arms, it isn't going to send money to take |
| at Qarun."The entire basin of the Litani River is | | | | the salt out of the Med? A neat buffer zone would |
| located within the borders of Lebanon. The river rises | | | | at least guarantee illegal supplies from the Latani.But |
| in the central part of the northern Biqa'a Valley, a | | | | will China and Russia and France go along with all this? |
| short distance west of Baalbek and flows between | | | | And why is the U.N. Secretary-General not raising the |
| the Lebanon mountain to the west and the | | | | hidden agenda? And why are hundreds of Lebanese |
| mountains to the east, running south and | | | | Muslim, Druze and Christian civilians paying the price |
| southwestardly at its own pace. The river enters a | | | | for this U.S.-Israeli plan? Secretary Rice's performance |
| gorge at Qarun, flows through it about 30 kilometers | | | | has been viewed as absurd by the international |
| and, near Nabatiya and the Beaufort Castle, abruptly | | | | community. Henry Kissinger's "shuttle diplomacy" was |
| turns right (to the west), to break through the | | | | just that. He "shuttled" between Syria, Egypt, |
| mountain range to the right, and continues to flow | | | | Moscow, Jordan and Israel, running circles around |
| through the hilly terrain of the al-Amal region. North | | | | hapless 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).Israel | | | | the U.S. right...by "shuttling" between her laptop and |
| obtains over one third of its water supply from the | | | | Ehud Olmert's drawing room. No wonder that the |
| occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. But it needs | | | | Lebanese PM told her to go home. |