Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said the Lebanese plan to divert the waters of the Wazzani River away from the Hasbani River is a direct provocation of Israel and that Israel would not abide by diversion of the sources of the Jordan River.
"The thing about those pipes they are using now [to divert water from the Wazzani to the Hasbani], is that their size shows that the entire operation is aimed at taking water from Israel. They are transporting this water to an area very close to the Litani River, when the water from the Litani flows into the Mediterranean. The fact that they aren't using existing water sources in close proximity to the area where they plan to use the Wazzani waters shows that the whole intent here is to take the water from Israel."
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post newspaper, Sharon explained that the water policy of all Israel's governments and the "wall-to-wall consensus" today is that, "Any move to change the status quo of water arrangements by our neighbors must be agreed upon by both sides. Nothing can happen without our agreement."
When asked whether a Lebanese move to divert the Hasbani River would be considered a casus belli by Israel, Sharon said, "Israel will not allow the Hasbani to be diverted. I want to be very clear on this. And we are ready to deal with this issue." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
