"War for Water
By Shah Abdul Halim
Feb 27, 2005, 11:31
....The Kurdish region in Turkey is straddle on both sides by the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. The region is rich in water resources. The previous government of Turkey, due to internal pressure of the pro-western Turkish army and at the behest of US-Israel, began an unprecedented $25 billion waterworks project to secure control, through a series of dams and hydroelectric plants, of both vitally important rivers.
Israel believes an ultra-secular Turkey might be interested to share water of this region with Israel with direct pipeline. The plan also includes a symbolic distribution of water to Syria, Jordan and the Palestinians to appease the Arabs of the region and to camouflage real intention of diverting Kurdi-Turkish water to Israel. US after the occupation of Iraq, however, gave up the initial plan to create an independent Kurdish state by slashing a part of Iraq, Syria and Turkey because of the fear that sunni dominated Kurdish state might work against the Israel-US interest in the region. Such a government might threaten, if not nullify, Turkish control of the waterworks and consequently, of the Tigris and Euphrates. Israel-US also is not feeling very comfortable with the current Turkish Government of Tayep Erdogan which is basically committed to protect Muslim interests. Israel is now apprehending that its hope to get water from mainland Turkey through pipeline might not materialize as long as the current political leadership is in power in Turkey."
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