Water! It has often been said that the next Middle East war will be fought over water and not oil.
The truth is that the precious, life-giving and sustaining liquid we all need is at an absolute premium in the Middle East. Poor rainfall over the past five years has left Israel’s reservoirs badly depleted, not least among them Israel’s main body of sweet water, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). Year after year, the so-called red line – under which the level of the Galilee is not supposed to fall without causing serious – possibly catastrophic – harm to the Jordan Valley eco-system – is moved further down.
Just this past summer, Israel’s water control authority doubled the price of fresh water for private consumption. Farmers have taken a beating. Orthodox Jews have flocked to the Western Wall in their tens of thousands to pray for rain. Increasingly urgent efforts are under way to find a solution to the burgeoning water crisis.
Before you read further, would you say a prayer for Israel to receive good rains this year? May God bless you.