FOUR years ago, when Israel announced plans for major investment in desalinating seawater, many in the Middle East heaved a sigh of relief. At last, they thought, Israelis would feel more relaxed about ceding to their Arab neighbours some of the natural fresh water that falls as rain across the region.
Maybe Israel would give Syria back the barren fastness of the Golan Heights, which commands the headwaters of the river Jordan, the source of up to third of Israel’s water. Maybe it would concede that Palestinians on the West Bank deserve more than the meagre 20 per cent share…
