Druze and Syria

There are some 130,600 Israeli Druze  who reside in Israel primarily in the region of the Galilee. Some members of the Druze community have  reached the senior echelons of Israel's military and the government.The Druze villages and population are:
Daliyat al-Karmel (15,000), Yirka (14,750), Maghar (11,600), Beit Jann (10,600),Isfiya (8,500), Kisra-Sumei (7,000), Julis (5,700),Yanuh-Jat (5,300), Hurfeish (5,250),Shefa-'Amr (5,150),Peki'in (4,150),Sajur (3,700), Abu Sinan (3,450) and Rameh (2,200).

This past week members of the Druze community expressed their anxiety, saying they are very concerned about the fate of their brethren across the border in Syria.

“We are worried about the Syrian Druse and demand that the world not stand by and do nothing,” said the Israeli Druse and Circassian Local Councils Forum head Jaber Hamoud. “The Druse love peace, but they know how to defend themselves. They need the means, not knives and axes." "The Druze have largely kept out of the conflict in Syria, only taking up arms to defend their towns and villages."

Who are the Druze?

The Druze are an esoteric monotheistic religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. The religion incorporates elements of Ismailism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies. The Druze call themselves Ahl al-Tawhid "People of Unitarianism or Monotheism" or al-Muwaḥḥidūn "Unitarians, Monotheists." The Druze revere the father-in-law of Moses, Jethro, whom some Muslims identify with Shuʻayb. According to the biblical narrative, Jethro joined and assisted the Israelites in the desert during the Exodus, accepted monotheism, but ultimately rejoined his own people. The tomb of Jethro near Tiberias is the most important religious site for the Druze community.

Sheikh Amin Tarif was the preeminent religious leader of the community from 1928 until his death in 1993. He was highly esteemed and regarded by many within the community as the preeminent spiritual authority in the Druze world.

Druze citizens are prominent in the Israel Defense Forces. Border Police. Police and in politics. The bond between Jewish and Druze soldiers is commonly known by the term "a covenant of blood" (Hebrew: ברית דמים, brit damim)

On the Golan Heights

After Israel's conquest of the Golan Heights in the Six Day War of June 1967 four formerly Syrian Druze villages; Majdal Shams (9,700), Buq'ata (5,900), Mas'ade (3,100) and Ein Qiniyye (1,735), came under Israeli rule. In the late 1970s, the Israeli government offered citizenship to all non-Israelis living on the Golan. By offering Israeli citizenship to the residents of the Golan Villages it would entitle them to an Israeli driver's license and enable them to travel freely in Israel.

Ninety percent of Druze residents of the Golan until recently continued to regard themselves as Syrian citizens. Many were afraid of reactions or repercussions by the Syrian Assad family regime to their family members who reside within Syrian territory should they accept Israeli citizenship. That 10 percent who applied for Israeli citizenship are entitled to vote, run for Knesset and receive an Israeli passport.

For foreign travel, non-citizen Golan Druze are issued a laissez-passer-by the Israeli authorities. As Israel does not recognize their Syrian citizenship, they are defined in Israeli records as "residents of the Golan Heights."
Since 2012 in the light of the deteriorating situation in Syria, Golan Druze have applied to Israeli citizenship in much larger numbers than in previous years. Though young residents of Majdal Shams are not drafted by the Israel Defense Forces, there has been a marked increased desire by them to volunteer for service in the IDF, Border Police and Police.

As part of their "resistance to Israeli occupation" many Golan Druze consistently show open public support for the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad had historically been high among Golan Druze in order to acquire the favoritism of the Assad's government to conduct trade across the border with Syria.

Some tensions have recently arisen in the community due to differing stances on the Syrian civil war, though open public support for the Syrian opposition is relatively uncommon.

In Syria

Druze made up about 3% of Syria's 22.5 million population before the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011. Many Druze live in the Jabal al-Druze region in the southern province of Suweida, where they constitute the vast majority of the local population. But there are also several Druze villages in other parts of the country, including in Idlib Provence.

The head of the Druze community in neighboring Lebanon, Walid Jumblatt, who is a Lebanese politician and the current leader of the mostly Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP),said the incident was an isolated one. Furthermore Walid Jumblatt, said he had made contact with Syrian opposition factions and "influential regional forces", according to a news website run by his political party. This contact had yielded a "joint effort" to guarantee the safety of Druze villages in Idlib Provence which had "stood by the revolution", it reported.

Walid Jumblatt has been a consitant supporter of the Syrian regime from the 1970's. Since the death of Syrian President Hafez Assad in 2000, he has campaigned for Damascus to relinquish control. With the onset of the Syrian Civil War, Jumblatt and the PSP moved towards an anti-Assad stance. Jumblatt has been crucial in negotiations regarding the Syrian Druze during the Syrian Civil War, and has stated about al-Nusra Front “I cannot classify, like Western countries, Nusra as terrorist because most of Nusra are Syrians. The terrorist regime of Bashar obliged the Syrians to join Nusra”.

In light of the recent attack Jumblatt responded that; "Any inciting rhetoric will not be beneficial, and you should remember that Bashar Assad’s policies pushed Syria into this chaos."

The spiritual leader of the Lebanese Druze community, Sheikh Naim Hassan, expressed condolences over the killings.
“We stand in silence, pain and sympathy with our people on Qalb Lawzeh. We pray for the martyrs,” he said after the Beirut meeting.

In the latest incident in the Druze village Qalb Lawzah in Idlib province, at least 20 to 25 Druze villagers were murdered by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in north-western Syria,(close to the Turkish Border)  the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The shooting occurred after a Tunisian al-Nusra commander tried to confiscate a house belonging to a Druze man who he claimed was loyal to the Syrian government. Relatives of the house's owner protested and tried to stop the commander.

The al-Nusra commander accused the Druze of being "kuffar" (infidels), because the Druze faith is an offshoot of Islam and is considered heretical by jihadists. The dispute soon escalated and turned violent. It was reported that a villager seized the rifle of an al-Nusra fighter and opened fire, killing one of the jihadists. Among those killed were elderly people and a child. Rebel groups allied to al-Nusra, including Ahrar al-Sham, eventually intervened to stop the bloodshed.

al-Nusra's leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani told Al Jazeera that Druze and other religious minorities who did not fight it would not be targeted. He said representatives had been sent to their villages to "inform them of the doctrinal pitfalls they have fallen into".

Druze activists living in Idlib Provence have reported that Druze residents have been subjected to religious persecution by al-Nusra with several hundred forced to convert to Sunni Islam. The group was also accused of desecrating graves and damaging shrines.

Wiam Wahhab, a Lebanese Druze politician close to Assad, urged Assad’s government to supply the residents with weapons. Wahhab also called on all the Druze in the southern Syrian province of Sweida to carry arms and defend their villages, since al-Nusra opposition fighters have reached the region that had previously been spared from the fighting in Syria’s four-year long civil war.

Wahhab also warned of revenge attacks against Nusra Front members in Lebanon in retaliation for the killings in Qalb Lawzeh.

Who or what is al-Nursa?

The al-Nusra Front, or Jabhat al-Nusra  is a branch of al-Qaeda operating in Syria  and Lebanon. It's name in Arabic is: جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام‎ transliterated as Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahli ash-Shām, "The Support Front for the People of Al-Sham", or JaN or JN). It is sometimes referred to as Tanzim Qa'edat Al-Jihad fi Bilad Al-Sham or al-Qaeda in Syria or al-Qaeda in the Levant.

The al-Nusra Front, or JaN  has been described as both "the most aggressive and successful" and "one of the most effective rebel forces" in Syria, and has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations,  Australia, Canada, New Zealand,  Russia,  the United Kingdom, the United States,  and Turkey.

Jabhat al-Nusra is made up primarily of Syrian mujahideen (is the plural form of mujahid (Arabic: مجاهد‎), the term for one engaged in Jihad) who adhere to Sunni Islam.
The goal of Jabhat al-Nusra is to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria and create an Islamic Emirate under Sharia law. At this stage they are focusing on the defeat of the Syrian regime rather than on global jihad.
There have been statements to the effect that Syrian members of the group are only fighting the Assad regime and they are not interested in attacking Western states though group still views the United States and Israel as enemies of Islam. They have consistently warned against Western intervention in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra leader Golani has stated that "We are only here to accomplish one mission, to fight the regime and its agents on the ground, including Hezbollah and others".

In early 2014, Dr. Sami Al Oraidi, a top Sharia official in the group, acknowledged that his group is influenced by the teachings of Abu Musab al-Suri. The strategies derived from Abu Musab's guidelines include: providing services to people, avoiding being seen as extremists, maintaining strong relationships with communities and other fighting groups, and putting the focus on fighting the government.

The tactics used by Jabhat al-Nusra are markedly different to that of rival jihadist groups such as ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Levant/Syria] Dar al Islam al Sham. Whereas ISIS (Daish) has alienated local populations by demanding allegiance and carrying out beheadings,Jabhat al-Nusra has cooperated with other militant groups and has declined to impose Sharia law where there has been opposition. Analysts have noted this "benevolent policy" used by Jabhat al-Nusra may give them a greater long-term advantage.

Jabhat al-Nusr leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani was instructed in early 2015 by al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to pursue the following five goals;

• Better integrate his movement within the Syrian revolution and its people
• Coordinate more closely with all Islamic groups on the ground
• Contribute towards the establishment of a Syria-wide Sharia judicial court system
• Use strategic areas of the country to build a sustainable Al-Qaeda power base
• Cease any activity linked to attacking the West. 

Since early 2015, there have been persistent reports of the al-Nusra Front considering leaving al-Qaeda and planning to abandon its current name and merge with smaller Islamist groups, such as Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, in order to form a new entity that will receive funding from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

In a statement issued on 9 March 2015, the group reaffirmed its allegiance to al-Qaeda and denied plans to break away from it.

FIFA, the Zohan and A Sleeping Giant

It is time to rise up against hatred; Part One Talkback Lies

"The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth."

Edith Sitwell (1887 - 1964)

As I read a recent Opinion piece, by Sever Plocker of Ynet entitled "Battleagainst BDS must be fought by Israel'sleft" I was reinforced in my thought that the battle against the BDS -Boycott Divest Sanction Movement is not just an anti-Israel, anti-Jewish / Zionist attack; it is an attack on us all.

Every free morning, I have a ritual of preparing a leisurely morning cup of coffee and then opening my computer. Once the computer is booted I open my email in-boxes. Through these portals to the world I receive items from around the world daily, specifically replies from “Tweeter”. The items I receive range from personal items and Blog comments to the usual bills and advertisements. As I read through the items I pause and ponder, "Is it worth while for me to reply or to elaborate my personal point of view in a Blog?" I wonder. "Is my Blog entry readable or even interesting to those whom I send my reply to?" What will my words do? Will they have any effect? Will the reader agree with me?"

Then when I open Facebook there is always the space where you enter your comment as to "What's on your mind?" It stares at me and I always stare at the space and think to myself "Gawd I sure as hell would like to say all that is on my mind!"  I sit and ponder upon the minions of things that flow through my brain from the personal to the political and from the trivial to the intricate. I think about all the news that is occurring daily in the world and of course on those news items concerned with Israel. I am reminded of that famous saying / slogan of journalism that first appeared on an illuminated advertising sign, spelled out in red lights above New York's Madison Square in early October 1896 which was meant as declaration of The New York Times intention to report the news impartially: "All the news that is fit to print."

As I open the news pages of “Western News” media outlets and then the leading Israeli dailies in English; Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post and Yediout Achronout to read the latest in news headlines.

I especially like trying my mental patience by occasionally reading the writings of Mr. Gideon Levy and MS. Amira Hass. These two consistently profess their self-hating delusions of how the Israeli leadership and the religious and extreme right control the feelings of ALL Israelis. They never criticize the "Palestinians" for their flagrant use of violence it is ALWAYS Israel's fault. Their personal views are those of the “Shenkin” crowd tainted by that old self hating Jewish anarchist leftist mentality– read old time communist thought - who hide in the environs of the “Greater Tel Aviv area” and never venture in the peripheral areas of Israel.

As I read through the news articles and commentaries I also read the Talkbacks to these articles. Occasionally the editorial staff of Haaretz slip up and allow a positive  Talkbacker reply such as;

"If those Turks, who died, had been peaceful like those on the other five ships of the "flotilla" they would have received no harm and would have arrived back home safely as the others." 

Wow! you mean we are humans?

So very many times these comments against Israel are so far fetched and based on totally absurd facts that it appears that common sense/knowledge are thrown out the window. Many of the Talkbackers (Falestinian Trolls) are frequent commentators; many of them are Falestinian University students on scholarships in almost ALL the major and many minor US Campuses who receive payments for leaving comments – Your US /EU Tax dollar at work!

They are provided with preprepared texts and outlines to “irk” and insult Jews and pro-Israel readers. They readily leave their vile lies and false accusations in some of the most banal stories, like pigeons on a car, for the gullible non-informed to read on a daily basis in any Talkback that they can. The fact that their totally depraved ranting's and raving's are accepted and printed in the free democratic press of Israel is not lost by them. This "major" fact of total freedom of the press is consistently overlooked by the left-wing "humanitarian" camp. Yet. these same critics of Israel are totally silent should they even dare to insinuate any trivial wrong doing in one of the neighboring Arab countries.

As I read these "Talkbacks" I am consistently amazed at those who thrive on absurd pro-Palestinian hatred who visit these Israeli English web sites to spread their comments gleaned from their personal hatred of Jews and Israel. These "readers' comments" are veritably filled with such virulent "pro-Palestinian" and anti-Semitic hateful propaganda rantings that the effort to read them can range from the tedious to the laughable.

As someone who has studied history in an American University I was taught by my professors to base statements and writings on researched historical fact. As someone who has lived in the Middle East and has experienced first-hand many of the historical events over the past 40+ years here I am literally astounded by the amount of historical documented fact that is  so blithely ignored and distorted by these pro-"Palestinian" Talkbackers. On most occasions these anti-Israel rantings that are written have absolutely nothing to do with the article that they ascribe to comment about!

One of my recent favorites was the libel made against Israel by Agence France Presse and Al Jazeera, who, without the decency of even checking on Google Earth falsely accused Israel of intentionally opening the "floodgates of a large dam" in the Negev in order to unleash floods upon Gaza’s beleaguered residents. However it was quickly pointed out to publications, blogs and other sites repeating the claim as fact that; “In southern Israel, there are no dams of the type which can be opened.”

So when confronted with the fact s Al Jazeera, officially retracted its story. Here is the Al Jazeera Article retraction dated 25/2/2015:

Editor's note: An earlier version of this page hosted an article which stated that Israel had, without warning, opened a number of dams, which had resulted in a part of Gaza being flooded.
This was false. In southern Israel, there are no dams of the type which can be opened. We apologize for this error. Al Jazeera depends on objective reporting and strives to correct all errors of fact. We are committed to accountability and transparency. We encourage our audience and others to identify and report our mistakes. 

The majority of these "Haters of Israel and Zion" are so despicable in their replies one wonders and seriously questions what exactly is the purpose behind their publication by the "mediators" of the talkbacks?  In many cases I seriously believe that it is done intentionally to increase traffic on their web pages so as to sell advertisements. A “reputable” web site would delete or block many of the obscenely crass and disgusting lies and hate filled comments.

I also wonder how much do these pretentious and preposterous lies affect the naïve "least knowledgeable" readers? The Talkback section of Haaretz is shamefully and specifically heinous for not only its own "left-wing" commentaries but for it's predominance in truly notoriously spiteful and hate filled "pro-Palestinian troll" "Talkbackers".

To these "Talkback Falestinian Trolls" who appear on a regular basis, Israeli “IS” an Apartheid State, the IDF means the IOF or Israeli "Occupation" Force, Israel IS a racist state thereby associating that ALL Jews are racists and all who serve to defend Israel in the IDF ARE blood thirsty murderers of innocent women and children.No amount of any act of humanity by Israel is negated out right with the utmost scorn!

In the past during the "Intifada" the major source of racial hatred and terrorism was located on the campuses of the Palestinian Colleges and Universities. It is these students and teachers who have emigrated to campuses throughout the western world. In a campaign of subterfuge and infiltration they have infiltrated and subverted western Leftist liberal student associations reminiscent of the KGB policies of the 1930's -1980's. Their overwhelming success has been the achievement of the Boycott Divest and Sanctions movement and the branding of Israel as an evil “Apartheid” state. Acting under Yasser Arafat’s Negation of Israel plan initiated in the mid 1970’s, they have spread a virulent hatred of Zionism and Israel like a viral disease.

The use of the BDS has drawn in the gullible and naïve American as well as European students by their line that to be; “progressive caring for humanity and equal rights” means that you must identify with BDS.
At all their meetings and demonstrations you hear the “Battle Cries” (if you will) or slogans against the “Occupation” by “Apartheid” Israel who is carrying out “Genocide”. The battle against Israel and of course the Evils of Zionism, referred to by the use of the terms; “ZioNazi” or “Israhell” has replaced all the other political battles for many young men and women.

It is now common knowledge that for those naïve college students who wish to stand out and be recognized by their professors and peers in almost all the major universities in the west you must embrace BDS and the “Falestinian” cause. The message among students and the young intelligence in the West is; “It is ‘Chic’ to be anti-Israel and a member of BDS. T the same time these fanatic purveyors of vile hatred, who lead the BDS movement. have squashed any attempt to divert the world media and student bodies to any other political issue.

Israel's lack of counter propaganda in the face of the BDS campaign has “suddenly” awoken to the very real threat brought by the total inaction by successive Israeli governments. Quite frankly I do have to admit here that the Falestinians really shot themselves in the foot when they threatened “THE” most cherished spot of the male if you like “chauvinistic masculinity” in Israeli culture “Football”. As the saying goes “You don’t mess with the Zohan!”

Then they blundered yet again and made their really biggest mistake by pissing off Israeli women by the hint of depriving them of their mobile phones! Of course NOT all Israelis use the Orange mobile phones but just the thought of threatening a mobile phone company, well as a married man and the father of two daughters you don't want to piss off a woman when it comes to her phone!

These two acts to have Israel banned from FIFA and have Orange leave by  the "pro-Falestinian" BDS crowd reminded me of the famous quote from Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto regarding the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by the forces of Imperial Japan.

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

BDS Fly

A twist to an old story.....but it is a better way of explaining the utter and rank stupidity of the HOIZ (Haters Of Israel and Zionism) BDS Israel / Palestinian situation: 

Taken from WHEN A FLY FALLS INTO A CUP OF COFFEE.

At the local coffee shop.....a fly falls into the coffee cup:

The Italian – crosses himself, lets out a stream of curses, makes violent hand gestures, throws the cup, breaks it, and walks away in a fit of rage.

The German – calls the waiter, an illegal Turkish Moslem immigrant, to wash the cup, to sterilize it and make a new cup of coffee.

The Frenchman – looks around, to make sure no one is watching, carefully takes out the fly, places it next to his croissant and drinks the coffee.

The Chinese – takes out the fly and adds it to his jar of flies to copy at a cheaper price in a sweat shop by prisoners of the regime.

The Russian – Simply pours in some Vodka, drinks the coffee with the fly, since it was extra with no charge.

The Israeli – studies the situation pulls out his laptop a quickly analyzes the causes and effects contacts his fellow Israeli engineers and Nobel Prize winning associates they form a business contact the Chinese and begin the manufacture. The Israelis:

• sell the German a compact portable sterilization machine
• sell coffee flavored flies to the Frenchman
• sell the plans to produce better flies to the Chinese
• sell the Russian bottles of Vodka, with flies include as a health drink with protein added!
• sell the cup with free rosary attached to the Italian.
• and for ourselves, we Israelis use the extra money to invent a device that prevents flies from falling into coffee by zapping them in mid air. (called the Iron Cup System)

As to the cup of coffee of the unemployed Falestinian, (a Hamas "Militant" from Gaza) who is an illegal immigrant living on welfare by the name of Ramzi, He slips out a container of young maggots and flies and spreads them on the table near the cup and blames the Israeli for murdering young flies!!

Though needless to say that it is strange that out of all the coffee cups in the coffee house they fell into and around HIS coffee cup is NEVER questioned!

He then takes his Orange cellphone -now thanks to Left wing BDS'ers is Inshallah Jew free! Places a call to his local Palestinian Paliwood video crew to come and film the entire gruesome scene so they can sell the film footage to all the major news channels.

The major TV News Channels (CNN, BBC, Al Jezerra, PressTV) immediately broadcast the “unedited footage” without question! The Guardian, Haaertz and the New York Times spread the "gruesome" photos and story on page one!

Hana Ashrawi and Omar Barguoti are called to appear on all major news networks to condemn the Israeli act of "Occupation and Genocide".

Myriads of Libertard Leftists suffers of the BDS (Bamboozled Deranged Syndrome) and  ARBDD (Anal Rectum Brain Displacement Disorder) take to the streets throughout Europe and the US screaming with faces distorted by hatred and frothing at the mouth like banshees over the "Israeli Genocide".

President Obama calls a press conference on the back nine makes lame statements and sends Secretary of State John Kerry to investigate.

The Falestinian than puts on a Khaffieyah and face mask goes to protest the "act of aggression" to the UN, the UN passes a vote condemning Israel for the act 171 to 2 of genocide and occupation of Palestinian coffee cups.

The Falestinian quickly sends his sister Fatima to feign starvation -since her coffee cup is "Occupied" the European Union throws millions of EU tax funds to buy a new cup of coffee. Ramzi pockets his share of the EU money and then uses the money to purchase explosives from Iran. Fatima then takes her 13 year old daughter Jihada and straps on a suicide bomber vest who runs into the coffee house where the Italian, the Frenchman, the Chinese, the German and the Russian are all trying to explain to the Israeli that he should give away his cup of coffee to the Palestinian so there will be peace and blows herself up.

Several European cities immediately name streets in Fatima's daughter Jihada's name.

Roger Waters throws a benefit concert to raise money for a University in her name in Gaza.

Obama invites Fatima and Ramzi to the White House to share his condolences.

Mark Zuckerberg makes a sympathetic post on Facebook for Moslems while blocking thousands of pro-Israeli Zionistic Facebook users.

In the aftermath in front of thousands and the world news channels Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gives Fatima the $25,000 reward taken from the millions given in EU and US tax dollars for her daughters "Martydom.”

Meanwhile the fly awaits his next victim.

Falestinian Water Libel

The once familiar public messages on Israeli prime time TV broadcasts showing images of parched earth, have disappeared from memory despite weeks of low rainfalls in some areas. Israel has two main aquifers; the mountain aquifer and the coastal aquifer.

The mountain aquifer annually provided 300 million cubic meters of water and the coastal aquifer provided 250 million cubic meters. All other aquifers and floodwaters combined once provided 650 million cubic meters of water. Now they are not being used, instead excess water is being pumped back.

The level of the Sea of Galilee, the largest fresh-water lake in Israel, fed by run-off and snow melt from the Golan Heights, Mount Hermon, the Hula Valley, the mountains of  Galilee, and the rain that falls directly on it. The Sea of Galilee was once required to provide 600 million cubic meters of water annually. The country’s only natural water reservoir, once a subject of anxious national discussion on the evening news during the year is no longer broadcast in television weather reports.

Why? What miracle has happened?

From before the establishment of the State, Israel for years suffered from severe water shortage is now self-sufficient after years of dependency on rainfall and subterranean aquifers. Israel has recently completed the final stages of the desalinization program to alleviate the issue of fresh water availability to all its citizens. According to Mekorot's Vice President of Engineering, Avraham Ben-Yosef; "Thanks to our desalination plants along the coast, there is now no lack of water in the country." 

The possibility of desalinating seawater in Israel arose in the professional discourse as early as the 1960s, and was even brought up between the Israeli and the US governments, yet was rejected due to technical and economic reasons. Desalination was first carried out in Eilat 30 years ago. The first master plan that recommended seawater desalination on a large scale was submitted in 1997, but was rejected.

In the wake of a drought in 1998-99, the Israeli government decided to begin practical preparations for seawater desalination. In 2000 a tender was issued for building a desalination plant in Ashkelon, south of Tel-Aviv. In 2001, the winning bid was chosen, and at the same time, the government decided to order Mekorot to build a plant in Ashdod. 

In April 2002, the government adopted the master plan (transitional) for the construction, by 2004, of desalination facilities with a total capacity of 400 million CM. Construction proceeded, yet more slowly than anticipated. 

Today three desalination plants are in operation on the coast: in Ashkelon, Palmachim, and Hadera, with combined output of nearly 300 million CM per year. Not all of the planned desalination plants were built. The companies that were supposed to have built them in Shomrat and at the mouth of the Kishon (both north of Haifa) withdrew from the projects, and the state repossessed their deposits. A third company, which was supposed to build a plant in Ashdod (in addition to Mekorot’s), went bankrupt. In the near future, two more plants are on the agenda: one at Sorek, with a capacity of 150 million cubic meters per year; and a Mekorot plant at Ashdod, with an output capacity of 100 million CM per year. 

Besides these, other plants for desalination of saline water are on the horizon, at capacities of 80 million CM per year; and Mekorot is planning wastewater desalination at a capacity of 13 million cubic meters per year. If all these plans are realized, it can be anticipated that by 2015 the quantity of desalinated seawater will reach 600 million CM; that is, an addition of 50 percent to natural water sources. Barring disappointing surprises, this addition will secure orderly provision and rehabilitation of the reservoirs that have suffered from over drafting for a long period.

Some 80 percent of all domestic water use in Israeli cities is now derived from desalinated water, according Hila Gil, director of the desalination division in Mekorot the Israel Water Authority.

A private company IDE Technologies, has built three of the five plants, which cost between $300 million and $450 million each . The plants are operated, under a complex contract arrangement with the Israeli government which allows for transfer to state ownership after 25 years. Mekorot the national water company of Israel buys the water from the plants for a relatively cheap 58 cents a cubic meter — more than free rainwater, according Miriam Faigon, the director of the solutions department at IDE Technologies. 

The budget for water purchases comes from water charges to consumers. The plants are not subsidized. The Hadera seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant is the largest of its kind in the world. The project was developed as a BOT -build–operate–transfer by a consortium of two Israeli companies: Shikun and Binui, and IDE Technologies.

With the construction of the plants, Israel is no longer reliant on underground water sources and the fresh water reservoir of the Sea of Galilee which are dependent on the annual rainfall. 

The new Israeli desalinization plants produce fresh water whose quality is among the highest in the world, in accordance with international standards.

The Israeli plants, mostly located along the Mediterranean coast, in Ashkelon (August 2005)has a capacity to produce 120m³/ million cubic meters per year, Palmachim has a capacity to produce 45m³/ million cubic meters per year (May 2007), Ashdod has a capacity to produce 100 to 150m³/ million cubic meters per year (2014) and Hadera has a capacity to produce 40,000m³/ million cubic meters per year  (December 2009).
The fifth is in the tourism city of Eilat and it desalinates water from the Red Sea.
Together, they will produce a total of more than 130 billion gallons of potable water a year, with a goal of 200 billion gallons by 2020.

These plants, operate at high energy efficiency and are some of the most cost-efficient in the world, when measured against similar plants in other countries, according to official figures. Water pumped in from the Mediterranean Sea is pushed through rows of multi-layered plastic membranes and, through a process called reverse osmosis, emerges after 90 minutes as tasty drinking water. This desalinated water is produced at the price of 52 cents a cubic meter at the Soreq plant located near the Israeli town of Hadera. The Nahal Sorek plant completed in 2013 has the capacity to produce  624,000 m³/day (26,000 m³/hour). The set price for the cubic meter of water is according to the terms of a government tender, and while actual rates fluctuate according to energy costs, currency exchange and the cost-of-living index, they remain significantly lower than in other nations.

In addition to which, since the desalinization plants work at the same level 24/7 the excess water is being pumped back into the underground aquafier water reserves. 

For the first time in years springs which had dried up during the summer months or during droughts are now flowing with water. 

Mekorot will also increase the amount of water supplied to Jordan via Mekorot. Israel transfers, 55 million cubic meters of water annually to Jordan.. Currently, water is supplied to Jordan via the Beit Zera water storage in the Beit She'an Valley, which receives its water from the Sea of Galilee.

Regarding the "Palestinians"

Last March, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority stated that the Palestinian Authority made the necessary operational preparations to absorb extra water. In 2014 Mekorot provided 57 million cubic meters of water to the Palestinians in the West Bank from the mountain aquifer, the main part of which is in Israeli territory.

In addition to the water supplied by Israel, the Palestinian Authority draws water from an aquifer in its own territory. The amount of water that Israel committed to transferring to the Palestinian Authority within the framework of a water agreement signed in Washington in 1995, as part of the Oslo Accords, was about 30 million cubic meters per year. 

Over the years, the quantity of water supplied by Mekorot increased far beyond the amount agreed upon. During the last five years, over 52 million cubic meters of water were annually supplied to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and 5 million cubic meters of water were annually supplied to the Gaza Strip, nearly 2 twice the agreed-upon amount.

Ben-Yosef added;

 "Israel's national water company Mekorot, in accordance with the Water Authority's guidelines, recently doubled its water supply to the Gaza Strip by 5 million cubic meters. The annual supply will now amount to 10 million cubic meters of water. There is no problem transferring water, the only limitation is the means of water supply. Moreover, we intend to enlarge the water lines to the Palestinian Authority in order to increase the supply."

As to "Water shortages" within the "Palestinian Authority" and the Gaza Strip of Hamas they are the direct result of rampant corruption and the policies that deliberately waste water and destroy the regional water ecology. 

The Palestinians consistently refuse to develop and improve their own significant underground water resources because they are more interested in bad mouthing and bashing Israel in their attempt to reattain what they lost in their self-inflicted "Nachbah" then in supplying suitable drinking water to their own populace. They have received countless amounts of unaccounted funding in world wide "blackmail" payments and building materials which have been stolen or misappropriated to fund the "Armed struggle."

Hamas for example has wasted hundreds of millions in foreign aid money to purchase weaponry and materials to develop a system of tunnels to attack and murder Israeli civilians rather than investing the millions given them to build seawater desalination plants. 

The use of these resources supplied from taxed income of EU residents have been earmarked by EU communities for the purpose of rebuilding the homes and schools destroyed in the constant fighting. This massive corruption and misappropriation is never questioned or criticized. Thousands of Gazans are still homeless, lack electricity, drinking water and proper sewage and waste disposal  despite the free entrance of building materials that pass each day into the Gaza Strip.

Over the years Hamas and the "Falestinian Authority" have done nothing to repair the massive leakage from their municipal water pipes which thieves in Arab communities in the West Bank and Gaza have illegally diverted by running improperly attached lines from them. They continuously refuse to build adequate sewage treatment plants so that they can irrigate land with treated sewage effluents or modern water-saving devices. 

Each year large portions of Gaza are immersed in flood waters and the pro-Falestinian purveyors of lies accuse Israel of intentionally flooding the Gaza Strip. As usual very few delve into the historical facts to understand that there has been an inadequate drainage system or infrastructure to allow for the drainage of the flood waters.Nor has there ever been historically an adequate sewage system in Gaza. 
Since the time of the Ottoman Turkish Empire Gaza was part of  of the "backwater" underdeveloped areas. Very little was ever done since the towns and villages in Gaza were small and neglected. 

During the British mandate period minor civic improvements were made but mainly in the area of larger residential areas such as Rafiach, Khan Unis and Gaza City.
From the time of the Egyptian "Occupation" and control of the Gaza Strip from May of 1948 with the opening of hostilities with the fledgling Jewish State until 1967  the Egyptian civil authorities did very little to improve the infrastructure of water supply and sewage disposal.

During Israel's "Occupation" from 1967 until 1993 the Israeli Military Government made many improvements to the water and sewage infrastructure. The construction of the Shifra Hospital and the completion of  a number of medic clinics together with improved hygienic conditions created a rapid increase in the birth rate together. The success in improved hygiene was reflected in the number of live births and the decrease in infant mortality rates.With the increase in population over strained UNWRA funds were not channeled to pay to improve hygienic conditions in the refugee areas but instead were siphoned off by the Palestinians for other "Resistance Purposes" since it is evident the funds never were used to improve life of those held captive in the camps by the Arab League.
(We see this same issue today within Gaza as Hamas has stolen building materials and supplies for the construction of tunnels and military positions)

Since the Israeli withdrawal in 1993 has not been modernized, nor repaired   This total neglect allows raw sewage to mix with the fresh water from the rainfall that floods the Gaza Strip bringing the threat of disease to the populace.

In deference to the Falestinian's, the Jewish  Kibbutzim, Moshavim and towns in the Negev region adjacent to where the same flooding has occurred have constructed a drainage system to divert and regulate the excess flood waters to reservoirs. The water is thereby reused during the summer or dry months to irrigate through pipes to the nearby fields of wheat. 

Each year large portions of the Gaza Strip are inundated by heavy rains and immersed in flood waters. Each time that this occurs the pro-Falestinian Trolls and purveyors of lies accuse Israel of intentionally flooding the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Maan News Agency made the claim in 2012, as did Middle East Monitor in 2013. BuzzFeed, one of the first non-Israeli and non-Jewish outlets to report the claim as false, quoted a Palestinian official speaking on condition of anonymity as saying the rumor “...could be traced back more than a decade."

“It is easy to say it is dams, easier than saying that the problem is infrastructure — not having infrastructure, having bad infrastructure, having what little infrastructure Gaza destroyed each time there is war — that is the truth. If we could rebuild Gaza, we could build a system that dealt with these horrible floods. But Gaza is in ruins, there is nowhere for the water to go, and each year it will be the same unless someone helps us.”

This year for example Agence France Presse and Al Jazeera, falsely accused Israel of intentionally opening the "floodgates of a large dam" in the Negev in order to unleash floods upon Gaza’s beleaguered residents. However it was quickly pointed out to publications, blogs and other sites repeating the claim as fact that; “In southern Israel, there are no dams of the type which can be opened.” Once this simple fact was indeed verified  Al Jazeera, officially retracted its story. Here is the Al Jazeera Article retraction dated 25/2/2015:

Editor's note: An earlier version of this page hosted an article which stated that Israel had, without warning, opened a number of dams, which had resulted in a part of Gaza being flooded.
This was false. In southern Israel, there are no dams of the type which can be opened. We apologize for this error. Al Jazeera depends on objective reporting and strives to correct all errors of fact. We are committed to accountability and transparency. We encourage our audience and others to identify and report our mistakes. 

Ah yes you say there are countless YouTube videos purporting to show "raw sewage" being pumped from "Jewish Settlements". Yet when you watch closely you see repeatedly that they fail to actually show that the source is truly from the settlements. 

In reality "ALL Jewish "settlements" are "not only" required by strict Israeli laws regarding water recyclement but they are under severe scrutiny by Israeli Nature Preserve Guards and conservationist groups to make sure that ALL rivers (creeks) are clean.

Hamas and "Falestinian Authority" refuse to bill their own citizens for consumer water usage, leading to enormous waste. The "Falestinian Authority" refuses to upgrade or lay new more economical water pipes. The "Falestinian Authority” claims that Israel is "stealing" their underground water resources when in fact, as I mentioned previously, Israel has discontinued drilling for or using water from the water tables. Within the area of the "Falestinian Authority" there has been continuous contamination from "Falestinian Authority" sewage.

Falestinians routinely drill illegally into Israel’s water resources, and send their sewage flowing into the valleys and streams that not only pollute central Israel but toward the Jordan Valley. 

As recently as March 24,2015 here is a report by a neutral NGO Conservationist group regarding the repeated pollution of the Prat stream from the El Beira sewage works of Ramallah:

"The Green Now Foundation and Nature Protection Society appealed against those responsible - (The Falestinian Authority) demanding to stop the ongoing pollution of the Porat Stream by the waste-water treatment plant at El Beira. There have been repeated requests to stop the pollution and to treat the water purification correctly and prevent severe damage to the environment. Our pleas have not helped. Since every few months (at best) we again get report that untreated sewage waste is continuing to be released into the stream."

There are countless reports of the release of raw sewage from the Ramallah sewage works into the Michmash by several naturalist conservative groups and the Israeli Nature Authority. 

"The raw untreated sewage release from the overflow due to improper repair and construction of adequate sewage treatment facilities has caused the extensive contamination of fresh water sources downstream as well as by endangering bathers and the environment. The natural fauna and animal habitats have been almost irrevocably been damaged as the raw sewage seeps into the earth."

As recently as May 5^th, 2015 there was a report of a mass demonstration in Jerusalem by residents of  Beer Sheva from the stench from the untreated raw sewage being piped into the Beer Sheva stream by the city of Ramallah and Falestinian villages.   

On the other hand the New York Times related that Israel treats 86% of its domestic waste-water, more than any other country in ‎the world. The next closest country is Spain who treats 17%. The USA treats 1%. 

In short, the Falestinian Authority and their Falestinian purveyors of lies continue to feed the propaganda machine that Israel is using water as a weapon against the Arab civilian population. The Falestinians themselves are not interested at all in practical solutions to solve the Palestinian people’s water shortages, but rather in the perpetuation of the shortages and the besmirching of Israel.

Epilogue 

After five years of work, Mekorot has completed the construction of the inverted carrier that will flow desalinated water to the Kinneret. This was published for the first time on the 12th of December 2022. The project will allow for the channeling of desalinated seawater from the desalination plant in Hadera to the national carrier - and from there it will flow through Nahal Zalmon to the Kinneret.

In doing so Israel will no longer be solely dependent on the Kinneret for its water thereby allowing the Kinneret to reach it's maximum so that any excess will flow into the Jordan river to the Dead Sea.