What’s with the world that obsesses about a tiny country a third the size of Tasmania? So Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, is having a small tumour removed from his prostate. No chemo, no radiation. Just minor surgery. Earth shattering news, apparently and I think I know why

The rest of the world just can’t come to terms with the fact that a country in the Middle East which is not flooded with oil revenue can make such an impact on economics, science, medicine, engineering and yet remain a democracy surrounded by the harshest of enemies.

While countries surrounded by water are talking about running out of it because they haven’t bothered to engineer desalination plants, Israel has been doing it for decades.

Why did Israel do this? The answer is pretty simple. This tiny land had to.

It’s all about jealousy and envy. Hardly a day goes by that there isn’t something in the media about Israel. A friend of mine expressed astonishment when I pointed out Israel on the map. “Is that it?” she asked. “I thought it was much bigger than that. So what’s all the fuss about?”

I didn’t feel like telling her about anti-semitism, anti-zionism, tall poppy syndrome when it concerns Jews. That’s what all the fuss is about.

We live in a world where children are trafficked as slaves and prostitutes. We live in a world where women are mutilated. We live in a world where millions of people in Africa are being starved and murdered right now by corrupt regimes.

We live in a country that has really never had to lift its game because it was blessed with so many natural resources. Except for water, that is. So has anything been done to alleviate the problem? Droughts have been constant occurrences in Australia throughout its history and yet governments in Lotus-Land have still only been talking about doing something for the past few years

Compare that with Israel. The Jews were happy to be able to return to their historical homeland from which they had been banished. The country was small and arid but at least they could call it home—sort of.

They turned deserts into oases while Australia has turned oases into deserts. What is Australia’s solution? Let’s blame global warming. I’m not quite sure how industrial emissions were responsible for the droughts which preceded the past hundred years. But never mind, let’s all just rave on about that and run campaigns for four minute showers.

What a farce! Buy a green shopping bag and restrict your ablutions. Now there’s a solution. Keep putting off making decisions. Tomorrow is another day and besides we worry more about the horse racing industry. The punter is an Aussie icon, after all.

With all these problems that Australia has, wouldn’t you think that Olmert’s prostate should not take up so much news time on Channels 7 and 9? Not to mention the front page of “The Australian’s” International section?

At least in Israel Olmert will get better medical attention than he could here in our sick health system. After all, there are many Iraqi children who are being treated successfully in Israeli hospitals. Not that the media publicises that fact. Why is that?

Well, the reason is the perennial one- pure unadulterated envy!

Guess what?

At last and not before time, Australian state ministers for water resources in N.S.W, Victoria and Queensland have gone to Israel to attend a conference on Water Technologies and Environment Control. This is an international conference. There are more than 40 delegates from Australia which is a gigantic country that has always had problems with drought. The purpose of the visit is to study Israel’s advanced irrigation technology as well as its water recycling and desalination systems. Since Australia is the sunburnt country it should benefit from Israel’s knowledge of solar energy. Better late than never….