The Israeli Water Strategy

In the previous post, references were made to foreign penetration in the Nile River basin, including the state of Israel. However, the Israeli water strategy behind the active technical and financial role in some of the Nile River basin countries, especially Ethiopia and Kenya, needs to be examined. Reviewing the historical Zionist movement strategy even before the creation of Israel reveals, among other things, that at the turn of the 20th century Zionist leaders in Britain approached the government to permit Jews to live in Sinai and to let them construct a canal to connect with the Nile River. The request was rejected by both the British and the Egyptian governments. At the time, Egypt was under British colonialist rule. Zionist ideology calls for the creation of “Eretz Israel” (greater Israel) that stretches from the Nile River west to the Euphrates and Tigris River east. After the creation of Israel in 1948, it began to gradually implement its water strategy. The Israeli Prime Minister Ben Gurion state publicly in 1955 that Israel was involved in a war for water with its Arab neighbors. Israel has diverted more than 90% of the Jordan River water into Israel without consideration of Jordan’s water needs. During the early 1970s, Syria and Jordan agreed to build a dam to divert some of the Yarmouk River water into Jordan to make up for its loss of water from the Jordan River. Israel warned that the proposed project would be bombed. Syria and Jordan canceled the project under Israeli military threats. In addition, Israel refused to evacuate the Syrian occupied land in order to control the shores of Lake Tiberias. Also, Israel tapped the underground water in the occupied Lebanese lands. Furthermore, Israel was in full control of the underground water of the occupied West Bank and deprived the Palestinians from equal water share.

During the 1970s, after Israel and Egypt signed the peace treaty, Menachem Begin, the Israeli prime minister, asked President Sadat if Israel could share the Nile River water with Egypt. President Sadat rejected the request and said they did not have enough water to satisfy their own needs. Israel’s water strategy moved toward the Nile River basin countries, especially Ethiopia, where 85% of the water that flows through the Nile comes from the Blue Nile. Also, Israel began to penetrate Kenya as well.

In an article in akher s9aa (May 5, 2010) Dr. M. Okasha noted that Israel is building 40 water projects on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia that will hold 80 billion cu. met. of water when completed. This will affect both Sudan and Egypt’s water share from the Nile River. Furthermore, Dr. Okasha pointed out that Israel provided Kenya with technical and financial aid equal to around $500 million per year. Also, Israel has been plotting in a secret ways to stop Egyptian influences with the Nile River basin countries.

In a book written by an ex-Mossad officer, “Mosha Ferji”, it was pointed out that Israel convinced the Africans in Southern Sudan to stop a joint project between Egypt and Sudan to construct the Gongly/Jonglei canal to save and store water being wasted in southern swamps.

Israel is planting the seeds of conflict that might lead the African Nile River basin countries to pressure Egypt to share the Nile River water. This prediction is because of Israel’s technical and financial help.

Since the death of Gamal A. Nasser, the Egypt government has gradually lost the influence it used to have in East Africa. The 1995 attempted assassination of Mubarek in Ethiopia created a hostile atmosphere between the two countries.

Only in the last few years did the Egyptian government begin to wake up to the indirect Israeli threat to Egypt through some of the Nile River basin countries. The next few years will reflect on the impact of the Israeli influence among the Nile River basin countries and its consequences on both Sudan and Egypt.