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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: carranza2 who wrote (25349)	4/15/2002 4:31:02 PM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 281500

Carranza, that 'blooming desert' was made possible by the theft of water from Israel's neighbors which was made possible by American foreign aid. Israel has tried (sometimes unsuccessfully) to divert water from its neighbors for years....the 1967 war began this way. The largest natural aquifer in the region is under the West Bank, and Israel gets 50% of its water from it. One more reason Israel will resist any just resolution to the conflict. In addition to confiscating water from its neighbors, Israel squanders this valuable resource by subsidizing farms in the form of charging less than market rates for the water supplied to the farms. Israel's largest reservoir is dangerously close to a level beyond which the pumping systems won't perform. The World Bank is predicting severe water shortages in approx. 2-3 yrs. I've often thought that Israel may be in more danger from it's grandiose vision of itself than from its Arab neighbors. It has an artificial, always fragile, debt-burdened economy that is dependant on foreign aid, preferential trade agreements, and guaranteed loans. It grows its population by enticing immigrants with an array of govt. subsidies, such as paying for resettlement, down payments on housing and free education. It relies on the cheap labor pool of its oppressed Arab citizenry. In 2 years, 20% of its budget will be consumed by military pensions...not salaries....pensions!! I suspect that Israel will eventually have its way with the Palestinian people but believe it might better ensure it's economic viability by choosing by to live on the land and water it has and actively initiate a just, comprehensive peace with its neighbors.