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