What did Grapes of Wrath cost?
Israel’s 16-day Grapes of Wrath operation in April cost Lebanon some $500m, according to the economist Marwan Iskandar. The attacks, centered mainly on southern Lebanon and the western Biqa`, destroyed thousands of buildings, displaced approximately 500,000 civilians, and damaged infrastructure, including roads, water reservoirs, and bridges. Two electrical transformation and distribution stations near Beirut, one at Jamhour, the other at Bsalim, were destroyed by Israeli aircraft. It remains to be seen what long-term effect Grapes of Wrath will have on the Lebanese economy. It may be too early to calculate all the opportunity costs provoked by the attacks. Studies are being prepared by various agencies to measure the real costs of Grapes of Wrath. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) recently submitted a report to the Lebanese government, that remains unpublished. A team from the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is also preparing a report. The first maj
