0 Stephen M. Asbel is an attorney in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also a frequent columnist on Arutz Sheva and the writer of the Israel news weblog Yeshayah 62:1.

Having failed to drive Jews into the sea, do Arabs seek to drive the sea into the Jews?

Is it possible that there is a link between the Arab war against Israel and global warming? On the surface, it would seem unlikely but consider this. It is a scientific fact that burning gasoline and other oil-based fuels in cars, trucks, planes etc. emits carbon dioxide. It is also a scientific fact that carbon dioxide traps the heat of the sun on the earth and promotes global warming - there is much debate about how much it is occurring and the nature of the risk. Suppose, however, the worst-case scenario happens . According to an article in USA Today, if the global temperature rose enough to melt the polar ice caps, global sea levels would rise 215 feet (65 meters).

 For Israel, this would be a disaster. The bulk of Israel's population resides in its coastal plain which would be submerged if the Mediterranean rose 215 feet. Even if the ice caps only partially melt and water levels only rise a small fraction of this level, Israel's most heavily populated areas would be inundated.

 In fact, if Israel is forced to relinquish mountainous Judea and Samaria, outside the Negev, there would be very little of Israel left above the water. The Saudis have for decades managed the supply and price of oil in such a way that it has remained cheaper to keep burning oil products than to develop new, clean sources of energy. Aside from lining their own pockets, is it possible that the Saudis desire to promote rising sea levels as yet another weapon against Israel?

For decades, the Arabs have tried to drive the Jews into the sea and failed. Perhaps now they are attempting to drive the sea into the Jews.