Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
"These water woes concerns more than just the people of Egypt, Israel, Lebanon or Gaza. These are problems touching the international community. Unless duly addressed they will add to the region's already explosive problems in years to come."The Middle East is facing a triple water crisis. The first problem—the lack of water in many parts of the Middle East—has in part been at the root of much of the Arab-Israeli dispute over the past 60 years. The Arab-Israeli conflict is not just about land; it’s also about water. Much as the land, there is only so much water to go around.
For decades Lebanon, to the north of Israel, has feared for the safety of its waters in the southern part of the country, primarily the Litani and Wazzani rivers. Israel, for its part, has very closely watched how its neighbors manage their water supplies, because hampering the flow of shared rivers will impact Israel’s water supply—a precious commodity. … Egypt, whose lifeline is the Nile River, has in the past warned Sudan and other countries up-river not to interfere with its flow. Similarly, tension rose to dangerous levels between Syria and Turkey over the waters of the Euphrates River. Access the full article>>