A heavy downpour, mingled with hail, brought continued relief today from the worst drought to hit Israel in decades.
Though the rains will not save a good portion of the crop acreage, it will–if it continues–remove the threat of a water famine and possible rationing of water. North of Beersheba, the new rains brought hope of saving some crops, while in Galilee the rains have assured the crop. Damage to citrus groves from the hail was minimal.
It was reported here today that Israel provided full information to the Food and Agricultural Organization in Rome, a United Nations body, on the locust threat to Arab countries but received no parallel information from the Arab countries. The locusts destroyed part of the Israel crop in the Negev.
While Arab countries continue to refuse any cooperation with Israel in fighting the locust invasions, Arab farmers in areas near Israel’s borders have privately expressed their thanks to Israel. Insecticides sprayed by Israel planes were often carried by winds across the borders to destroy locusts in adjacent Arab fields.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
