tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163876234969175446.post2890650614210335056..comments2024-03-22T10:56:23.359+02:00Comments on Land and People: Water: tension seeking behaviorRami Zuraykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644937988631864952noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163876234969175446.post-15657076810804457982009-09-14T18:22:00.161+03:002009-09-14T18:22:00.161+03:00Of course Habib, this is a very common argument, a...Of course Habib, this is a very common argument, and one that is very possibly true. And I say very possibly because I have not seen the documentation myself, but I base my analysis on:<br /><br />Israel has usurped the Jordan water and continued to do that after "peace", the Palestinian water and the Syrian water of the Golan. If previous behaviour is any indication of future performance, this one is pretty clear. <br /><br />Israel has always had views on the Litani water, look at this post and other related posts<br /><br />http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2007/05/03/litani_river_and_israel_lebanon<br /><br />There are tons of articles that were written about this. But what is interesting is how the issue is presented: as a case of conflict over the use of riparian resources, as is the case with say, the Nile water between Sudan and Egypt, or the Euphrates between Syria and Turkey. This was one of the topics of the World Water Forum that was held in Istambul in March 2009: the Litani, a case study. But Israel cannot claim any of that water, yet, the idea is introduced that this is a contentious case and that a settlement must be reached. Slowly, this will become a matter of negotiations of a share of the Litani rather than one only deserving a flat refusal. An international ruling may lead to Israel deciding to take action to get what it will claim is its property. <br /><br />This is why the whole idea of negotiation over water, as is often suggested, between politicians and specially academicians should be rejected, and the laws governing boycott in Lebanon must be strictly implemented with no exceptions. <br /><br />What I was saying in my post does not contradict this: I'm saying there won't be a war over water, Israel might use it as an excuse to attack Lebanon (the Hasbani water pumping station is commonly threatened and bombed when settlers need water, and the Lebanese government never did much about that, but it will not be the cause of war. War is already going on, and its cause is the implantation of a colonial entity in Palestine.Rami Zuraykhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14644937988631864952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4163876234969175446.post-75755091899284477452009-09-13T20:24:48.338+03:002009-09-13T20:24:48.338+03:00Hi Rami, thanks for posting. I'm wondering wha...Hi Rami, thanks for posting. I'm wondering what you think of the water-related argument from the Arab, or more specifically Lebanese perspective that says that Israel is plotting a long term plan to usurp Lebanon's water supply. I've talked to many in Lebanon who subscribe to this and see it as an important reason for supporting Hezbollah. Wondering what you think about that argument and whether or not you are aware of any statistics on the amount of water reportedly used by Israel from Lebanon.Habib Battahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15691610014903547411noreply@blogger.com