From: faris@sarcasm.trl.OZ.AU (Aziz Faris)
Subject: Re: The Litani River
Reply-To: a.Faris@trl.oz.au 
Organization: Telecom Research Labs, Melbourne,Australia
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 05:28:49 GMT

In article <Nov09.173851.72221@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>, bh437292@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (Basil Hamdan) writes:
|> Newsgroups: soc.culture.lebanon
|> Path: titan!trlluna!bruce.cs.monash.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!sgiblab!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sample.eng.ohio-state.edu!purdue!yuma!longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu!bh437292
|> From: bh437292@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (Basil Hamdan)
|> Subject: The Litani River
|> Sender: news@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU (News Account)
|> Message-ID: <Nov09.173851.72221@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>
|> Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1992 17:38:51 GMT
|> Reply-To: bh437292@lance.colostate.edu
|> Nntp-Posting-Host: lindsey.lance.colostate.edu
|> Organization: Engineering College, Colorado State University
|> Lines: 40
|> 
|> 
|> I have long suspected along many other Lebanese, that the
|> Litani river's waters were being diverted by the Israelis.
|> The other day, I was talking to a Professor preparing a
|> UN report on the Litani river, and he asked me as a Lebanese
|> professional, to review his report and give him my opinion.
|> In the past whenever claims of Israeli diversion of the
|> headwaters of the Litani, in the area controlled by Israel
|> and its surrogates were raised, the pro-Israeli people
|> on the net were quick to dismiss these suspicions and
|> challenge anyone to provide a proof,that any such diversion exists.
|> Now, after reviewing the report, I can confidently say that
|> we soon will have proof of the Israeli water diversion.
|> According to that report and a comprehensive book, which
|> has extensive data on the Litani river flows, the waters of the Hasbani, 
|> which is a tributary stream to the Litani in the Israeli controlled
|> region, are currently being diverted to Israel.
|> The data were taken by an Israeli commissioned  study done by
|> Aaron Wolfe, an Israeli researcher, and his data will be available 
|> in a book soon to be released called _The Litani_ written by
|> John Collors.  I am not sure when the book will be
|> released, it is still in draft status.  I am going to
|> get a copy of the UN report and post excerpts from it to s.c.l.
|> According to the report satellite imagery has confirmed
|> the existence of a  water pipeline dug secretly by the
|> Israelis which currently conveys the waters, to the
|> Northern Israeli territory.
|> When the book is released, I am sure we will hear more
|> about this issue, since it has come-up repeatedly in
|> the ongoing Lebanese-Israeli Peace negociations.
|> I suspect Israel will wrestle from Lebanon the legal
|> rights to the water diversion in place, as a price
|> for its withdrawal.  Let's face it folks, Israel has vital
|> interests in Lebanon that go beyond security for its 
|> northern border, it is up to us to speak up and uphold the 
|> Lebanese inalienable rights to _OUR_ land and _OUR_ water.
|> More details to follow,  and I hope then to provide
|> solid published references.
|> 
|> Basil 

Basil, this water diversion problem has been stated in the M.E. papers for
the past 2 years as I recall. I suppose Mr. Mourad and CLAO will now tell us
it is being diverted by Syria and it was done by Syrians.

A.Faris