Since 1973 and the first Arab oil embargo, the U.S. has been in fear of another embargo. And that fear has been fed a steady diet of hyperbole by American neoconservatives like James Woolsey and others who frequently talk about the need for the U.S. to develop alternative fuels, like ethanol, to decrease its foreign oil dependence.

Woolsey in particular has singled out Saudi Arabia as a key villain, saying that the Saudis’ vast oil reserves give it the “energy equivalent of a nuclear weapon” and that the U.S. should be prepared to “take away that Saudi weapon.”

While the pro-war faction in the U.S. continues to demonize the Arab oil producers, few people dare mention that America’s chief military ally in the Middle East, Israel, is now using the energy weapon more brazenly than any country in recent memory. Proof of that can be found by looking at the aftermath in Gaza and Lebanon. Consider the following:

In all, the infrastructure damage in Lebanon may total more than $3.6 billion. But it’s not just the loss of infrastructure that counts, it’s the loss of energy and access to energy. The fight between Israel and its neighbors is not just about land. It’s also about who gets electricity and motor fuel. And for its entire history, Israel has succeeded because it has had plenty of both.

It is axiomatic that as a person’s energy use increases, so does their standard of living. Energy creates wealth. That’s true always, everywhere. And throughout the many wars between Israel and its neighbors, the Israelis have maintained an energy edge. By and large, they are energy rich and their neighbors in Palestine and Lebanon are energy poor. And it appears the Israelis want to keep them that way.

The Israelis have a right to defend themselves – most reasonable people can agree on that. But by bombing the power plants and blockading fuel shipments, Israel has taken warfare to a different level. By bombing the power plants in Lebanon, it is reportedly trying to hurt Hezbollah. By bombing the only power plant in Palestine, it is reportedly trying to hurt Hamas. But in both cases, the Israelis are, in fact, hurting hundreds of thousands of civilians. And by denying them electricity, Israel also, in many cases, is denying them clean drinking water. Just as important, they are denying those civilians the opportunity to create wealth and improve their living standards.

America’s neoconservatives can talk about the energy weapon all they want. They need only open their eyes to see it actually being used.