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Beirut to Begin Pumping, Israel Won't React For Now
(Ha'aretz) - Beirut plans to begin pumping water from the new Wazzani pumping station in advance of a mid-October dedication ceremony, Lebanese news reports said. Prime Minister Sharon told the Israeli cabinet he had "made it clear" to the American government that Israel will not put up with any pumping of water from the Wazzani. Yet due to the "current sensitive circumstances" in the Middle East, Israel is not yet reacting to the developments on the Lebanese side of the border. Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said the pumping is part of "a power struggle between Amal and the Hizballah, which is trying to create a new source of friction with Israel." According to Lebanese press reports, Amal leader Nabih Beri, speaker of the Lebanese parliament, decided on the Wazzani pumping. The U.S. has proposed that the Lebanese pump only enough from the river to provide drinking water for the local villages and that water would not be diverted for crop irrigation - an amount that would not alter the general balance of the Jordan River basin. Water experts in Israel are reviewing the U.S. proposal before the government makes a formal response.