Wazzani

Al Wazzani , also known as Arab Louaize,[1] is a small Lebanese village in the Hasbaya District of the Nabatieh Governorate, just north of the Israel-Lebanon border, on the banks of the Hasbani River. The village is located about 1 km from the Wazzani Spring, a major source of the Hasbani, which is a tributary of the Jordan River.[2] The village has about 200 residents.[1]

In 2001 the Lebanese government installed a small pumping station with a 10 cm bore near the village, to supply water to the village as well the nearby villages al-Teiba[3] and Ghajar.[4] In March 2002 Lebanon also diverted part of the Hasbani to supply Wazzani village, an action that then Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, said was a "casus belli" and could lead to war.[5][6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b Water Wars in the Middle East: A Looming Threat, Hussein A. Amery, The Geographical Journal, Vol. 168, 2002
  2. ^ Wazzani Springs pump nearing completion
  3. ^ Hariri complains against Israeli threats: Lebanon seeks to complete al- Wazzani project
  4. ^ LA Times Over Israeli Objections, Lebanon Opens Pumping Station on River March 29, 2001
  5. ^ BBC 28 March 2002. Lebanon hails 'liberation of water'
  6. ^ BBC 10 September 2002 Israel warns of war over water
  7. ^ BBC 16 September 2002. US wades into Mid-East water dispute
  8. ^ BBC 17 September 2002. Israel hardens stance on water.