(Produced by BBC in 2007)

“This is a very well done documentary with some great archival footage. It not only documents the war itself, but more importantly, events leading up to it and the dilemmas faced by main characters on both sides of the conflict — Israeli PM Levi Eshkol on one side and Egyptian leader Nasser on the other. Both of these leaders were exposed to some pretty intense pressures and the documentary does a terrific job retracing all the steps, exposing the sources of pressure, motivations behind them, etc.

The other great thing about this documentary is that it also brings in a number of eye witnesses from both sides, who are all pretty frank about their assessment. It’s interesting to hear the commentaries from the point of view of Nasser’s secretary, high-ranking Soviet officials, a Syrian student in Cairo, an Egyptian soldier, a U.S.-born Palestinian journalist in Jerusalem, Jordanian commanders, the UN commander in the Sinai, CIA officials, U.S. government officials, Israeli generals, soldiers and fighter pilots as well as Israeli civilians. This really puts it in even greater perspective.

The other interesting thing is how this documentary illuminates the misinformation and bias about the real state of affairs perpetuated by many Arab governments and media. It’s interesting to hear Nasser’s boasts of almost sure victory in a conflict he instigated based on flawed intelligence from the Russians. He’s touting the strengths of his armies which are ready for war, unaware that the war had already begun. Yet, when it’s all over he refuses to take responsibility, blames the British and the Americans for intervening on behalf of Israel even when the Israelis have clear evidence from an intercepted phone call between Nasser and King Hussein of Jordan plotting how to find a scapegoat for their own folly.

But it also looks at the war and its outcome as the seed of the current conflict, the occupation of the West Bank and Golan Heights, the “land for peace” principle and the general trauma that the war inflicted on the Arab world. It effectively illustrates how we got to where we are now.

The producers got access to some pretty unique archival war footage, most of it from the Israelis. The one incident the documentary does not cover or even mention is the controversial Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, a US Navy electronic intelligence ship.”

Israeli water experts share technology, conservation in Missoula

7 June 2017

By Martin Kidston/Missoula Current

A delegation of Israeli water experts met with state leaders in Butte this week before stopping in Missoula to discuss water scarcity and the leading technologies developed by the desert nation to address the shortage on a global scale.

Led by Israeli Consul General Andy David and the Montana World Affairs Council, the delegation came to observe Montana’s varied water practices and hear the concerns of state officials confronted with a future where water could become scarce in a shifting climate.

“I hear in the U.S. that whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting,” David said before joining KGVO Talk Back radio for an interview. “The world does face a water shortage already. There are policies that need to be in place and planning to ensure there is no shortage of food or water.”

While clean drinking water and rich aquifers are currently abundant in Montana, climate experts, including those at the state’s two flagship universities, project that may change later this century as rainfall tapers off and temperatures rise.

The situation is even more dire in other parts of the West, where prolonged drought and reckless water usage has prompted massive changes to both policy and practice. Some suggest Montana may not be far behind, and that could have dire consequences on both an economic and ecological scale.

“It’s the No. 1 issue,” said Robert Seidenschwarz, president emeritus of the Montana World Affairs Council. “Every industry, all our agriculture, all of our population centers, they cannot function unless we have secure, clean water.”

David, accompanied by global water experts Avner Adin and Anan Adin of Israel, spent the past week in Montana observing the state’s water practices, from irrigation to municipal consumption.

Touring Butte with Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, they found that nearly 40 percent of the residences were unmetered. The state’s irrigation practices also remain somewhat antiquated in a water-scarce world.

“When it comes to irrigation here, we’ve learned a lot of it is just sprinklers or flood irrigation,” David said. “Drip irrigation in Israel has proven to save on the water, but you also increase the yield. We’re basically here to try and understand the challenges and offer our friendship.”

Since its independence in 1948, Israel has been forced by geography and circumstance to address its water shortage. Avner Adin, an emeritus professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an environmental engineer, said water was the catalyst of change that enabled Israel to thrive in the desert.

“Three thousand years ago, Moses hit a rock with a stick and water came out, but today, we don’t have miracles like this,” said Adin. “With climate change, we’re facing more troubles. We have to work out and develop more water resources.”

The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence now ranks water scarcity as a major threat to national security. David and his Israeli delegation have seen the risks first hand, from the Middle East to the American West.

To address the problem, Israel has developed new, cost-effective technology to produce drinkable water, including desalination. But it’s the nation’s conservation practices that could best apply to Montana, and that has the attention of state officials.

“As chair of the Governor’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Council, I know firsthand how important water is to our economy, quality of life, and the health and safety of Montanans,” Cooney said Wednesday. “It was a great opportunity to engage in a unique partnership between Montana and Israeli water experts, and to discuss innovative ideas to conserve and protect our precious resources and safeguard the right to clean water.”

David described the meeting with state leaders as a “first date,” and said his country’s delegation of global water experts will return if requested.

“We’re thinking about the next steps and the value we can bring to Montana when it comes to planning, or creating a demonstration project somewhere to show some of our new agriculture techniques, or what we call precision agriculture,” David said.

“People are used to paying for food, but they’re not used to paying for water in many cases,” he added. “They look at it as a resource that has no limits, but it does have limits.”