Ahmadinejad Abandons Nuclear Aspirations, Sets Sights on Israel's National Water Carrier

Bint Jbeil, south Lebanon, site of provocation by Ahmadinejad. (Photo: Amelia Opalinska)

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - Traveling in south Lebanon in the wake of the July War of 2006, I often acquired water bottles with labels depicting the variety of unexploded cluster munitions that one should keep an eye out for when walking in certain areas, such as in one’s yard.

Thanks to the state of Israel, it was thus possible to engage in the fundamental life process of hydration while simultaneously contemplating the sudden termination of all such processes. As for other regional water-related Israeli operations, these have enabled affected populations to not hydrate themselves.

It is the recent visit to south Lebanon by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, however, that has been classified as intentionally provocative by the United States and Israel, despite the fact that the visit included the United Nations compound in the village of Qana where 106 Lebanese civilians were massacred by the Israeli military in 1996.

Also deemed provocative in Israeli eyes, apparently, are Lebanese attempts to pump water from Lebanon’s own Wazzani springs. As for Israeli appropriation of extraterritorial waters, this could always be excused as a precautionary measure against being driven into the sea.

Belén is a feature writer at Pulse Media. Her articles also have appeared in CounterPunch, Narco News, Palestine Chronicle, Palestine Think Tank, Rebelión, Tlaxcala, The Electronic Intifada, Upside Down World, and Venezuelanalysis.com. Her book “Coffee with Hezbollah,” a humorous political travelogue chronicling her hitchhiking trip through Lebanon in the aftermath of the 2006 Israeli assault, is available at Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble.

Born in Washington, DC, in 1982, Belén earned her bachelor's degree with a concentration in political science from Columbia University in New York City. Her diverse background of worldwide experiences, created a fantastic writer; one whose work we are extremely happy to share with Salem-News.com viewers. You can contact Belén at: belengarciabernal@gmail.com