A tree-planting Canadian missionary who has languished in a Lebanese jail for three weeks faces charges of collaborating with an enemy state - Israel. Bruce Balfour, a 52-year-old Calgarian claiming to be on a mission from God, was arrested at the Beirut airport on July 10 and has yet to be charged. Canadian authorities have been told he will be charged with "collaborating" with Israel, whose forces occupied southern Lebanon for 22 years. But one federal official said it's too early to gauge the severity of the charge, and that Ottawa is awaiting a detailed description of the accusation against Balfour. He said there's no reason to believe yet that "collaborating with an enemy state" automatically means Balfour is being accused of a serious crime like espionage. "Maybe he went too often to Israel for the liking of authorities (in Lebanon)," said Foreign Affairs spokesperson Reynald Doiron. "We don't know yet." Balfour, a Christian missionary, was sent to Rumy prison when airport guards found computerized records of his trips to Israel. Lebanon does not permit entry to travellers carrying a passport stamped by Israel. In most cases, people found to have visited Israel are sent back to their country of origin on the first available flight. It is rare for such travellers to be detained, said a source with the Lebanese government who asked to remain anonymous. After Israel ended its occupation of south Lebanon in 2000, scores of people - mainly Lebanese - were charged with collaborating with the enemy state. Depending on the nature of the accusation, conviction has resulted in anything from simple fines to jail terms, and even death sentences. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Bruce Balfour. (Photo by ANS)