As the song so correctly says,
"War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War is something that I despise
For it means destruction of innocent lives
For it means tears in thousands of mothers' eyes
When their sons go out to fight to give their lives
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War
It's nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
War is the enemy of all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind
Handed down from generation to generation
Induction destruction
Who wants to die
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War has shattered many young men's dreams
Made them disabled bitter and meanLife is too precious to be fighting wars
each day
War can't give life it can only take it away
War
It's nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
Peace love and understanding
There must be some place for these things today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord there's gotta be a better way
That's better than
War
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing"
Along Lebanon's sandy beaches and rocky headlands runs a belt of black sludge, 10,000 to 30,000 tons of oil that spilled into the Mediterranean Sea after Israel bombed a power plant.
Lebanon's Environment Ministry says the oil flooded into the sea when Israeli jets hit storage tanks at the Jiyyeh plant south of Beirut on July 13 and 15, creating an ecological crisis that Lebanon's government has neither the money nor the expertise to deal with.
"We have never seen a spill like this in the history of Lebanon. It is a major catastrophe," Environment Minister Yacoub al-Sarraf told Reuters.
The first article below is from Nahamet (Lebanon). The second article is from the Lebanon Daily Star.
Israeli Offensive Triggers 'Worst 'Environmental Crisis in Lebanese History'
Lebanon's greens launched an international appeal for help Thursday to combat an environmental crisis caused by a huge oil spill south of Beirut.
"The escalating Israeli attacks on Lebanon did not only kill its civilians and destroy its infrastructure, but it is also annihilating the environment," warned the Green Line Association, a Lebanese NGO.
It said an air strike two weeks ago on the Jiyeh power plant which serves southern Lebanon had resulted in a 15,000-ton oil spill.
"The power plant has six fuel tanks. Four of them have burnt completely, while the fifth one, which is also the main cause of the spill, is still burning," it warned.
The spill has hit more than 100 kilometers of the Lebanese coast from Jiyeh to Shekka, in the north, including Beirut's only sandy public beach of Ramlet al-Baida, said Green Line.
"This is definitely one of the worst environmental crises in Lebanese history," it said in a joint statement with other environmental groups.
The NGOs warned that the marine environment, including the endangered green turtle -- not to mention the future tourism prospects of Lebanon -- would "suffer tremendously for several years from this spill."
"This oil spill is bigger than what the local authorities can handle and urgent help is needed from outside," they said, while adding that Israel's sustained air strikes were endangering those involved in clean-up operations.
The environment ministry, which has received a pledge from Kuwait to share its expertise in ecological crises built up after the 1991 Gulf War, said a complete oil-clean cleanup would cost tens of millions of dollars.
While residents of the Beirut area have been advised to stay clear of the Mediterranean waters, officials said Wednesday the ancient Phoenician port of Byblos had also been polluted by the oil slick.
Fishing boats at the port in north Lebanon were surrounded by a large oil slick while nearby beaches were also covered by the sticky fluid, TV footage showed.
The pollution, which has killed fish and much of the marine life in the area, threatens a wider ecological catastrophe, Environment Minister Yacoub Sarraf has said.
Sarraf and residents said the slick was also caused by a leak from an Egyptian commercial boat which was hit by a missile off Beirut during the battles between Hizbullah and Israeli forces.
An Egyptian sailor was killed when the boat was apparently hit by a Hizbullah missile, as it sailed close to Israeli naval vessels.
Four Israeli sailors were also killed when their warship, which was patrolling Lebanese waters as part of a massive air and sea blockade, was hit in the attack.
"The black slick appeared about seven or eight days ago and is becoming thicker by the day," said Zalpha Sfeir, a resident of the picturesque resort town known for its Phoenician ruins and fish restaurants.
"It will take six months to clean up everything, when the boats which are off the coast will stop dumping all their toxic liquids," she said.
Officials in Syria issued a similar warning after a slick reached its shores.
"A black slick spread over 10 kilometers appeared yesterday (Wednesday) on the Syrian coast," said Hassan Murjan, environment official for the southern port of Tartous.
"It's diesel from the electric power station or the boat that were attacked in Lebanon," he said, adding that tests were being done to determine where the oil came from.
The rocky nature of the coastline meant the pollution would have to be cleaned by hand "which will take some time," he said
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War sparks environmental crisis too as oil leaks into sea after attack on power plant
By Raed El Rafei
BEIRUT: At least 10,000 tons of heavy fuel oil have been spilled into the Lebanese sea, causing an environmental catastrophe with severe effects on health, biodiversity and tourism, environmentalists and the Environment Ministry said Wednesday. Two weeks ago, Israeli bombs targeted the Jiyye power station, located on the coast 30 kilometers south of Beirut. Part of the oil in storage tanks has been burning ever since and the other part is leaking into the Mediterranean.
"The pollution has affected around 70 to 80 kilometers of both public and private rocky and sandy beaches from Damour, south of Beirut, through to Chekka in the North," Berge Hadjian, the Environment Ministry's director general said Wednesday. Another 15,000 tons of oil are expected to leak into the sea, he added.
The ministry has issued a warning for all citizens to stay away from polluted sites along the coast.
The ministry has started pilot cleanup operations with the help of private companies, and with financial and technical assistance from the Kuwaiti government. But a total cleanup of the oil spill remains too dangerous because of Israel's ongoing military operations.
A complete oil-spill cleanup operation will cost tens of millions of dollars and will require a long period of time, according to the Environment Ministry's Web site.
Short-term health effects of the oil spill include nausea, headaches and skin problems among residents living close to the affected areas and among beach-goers coming in contact with the oil, the ministry added.
The spill will affect tourism because many public and private beaches have been polluted and it will take a long time to clean them, the ministry said.
The Ramlet al-Baida public beach, which normally attracts hundreds of people during this time of year, has been totally deserted. A thick layer of oil covers the coast at that spot.
"I saw many fish and crabs dead by the Ramlet al-Baida beach," said Iffat Edriss, an environmental activist, describing the situation as a disaster for the marine ecosystem.
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