Israel declares war on Palestinian air pollution

After decades of lax enforcement, Israel launches new program aimed at stopping Arabs from burning garbage at pirate waste dumps – and is fining the Palestinian Authority tens of millions of shekels to pay for the new effort.

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli government has launched a new program aimed at improving air quality in Israel by combating the illegal use of unauthorized waste disposal sites in the Palestinian Authority.

For decades, numerous towns and villages under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority have disposed of garbage by burning trash at pirate dump sites – a phenomenon that not only has environmental ramifications for the land used for the illegal garbage dumps, including the leaking of toxic materials into topsoil – but also endangers the health of Israelis breathing in the fumes.

The stench of the burning garbage has not only impacted Israelis living in Judea and Samaria, but also residents of Israeli cities inside the Green Line including Modi’in, Rosh Ha’ayin, Petah Tikva, Yehud, Shoham, and even as far west as Tel Aviv.

While Israeli authorities have periodically closed down pirate garbage dumps in Palestinian Authority-administered towns, enforcement of environmental laws has been spotty at best.

On Tuesday, officials from the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, which governs the 60% of Judea and Samaria which is under direct Israeli control, held a joint meeting with a team from the Environmental Protection Ministry, headed up by Minister Idit Silman (Likud).

During the meeting, the Civil Administration and the Environmental Protection Ministry finalized the implementation of a plan, drafted earlier this month, to combat the burning of garbage in Judea and Samaria.

The plan will be funded through 35.7 million shekels ($10.95 million) in funds expropriated from the Palestinian Authority, via tax revenue collected by Israel on behalf of the PA from Palestinian Arabs employed inside the Jewish state.

A new dedicated enforcement unit will operate at crossing points along the Green Line, with a designated prosecutor and inspector appointed to pursue legal action against the operators of pirate dump sites.

Israeli firefighters in Judea and Samaria will be integrated into the program, helping to extinguish illegal waste fires.

In addition, proper handling of waste will be organized, disincentivizing the use of illegal sites.

Alongside these steps, which will be implemented immediately, the government has committed to pass nine bills to strengthen the ability of authorities to enforce existing laws and increasing fines for violators.

A dedicated call center for reporting illegal garbage fires will be established, and a new network set up to monitor air quality in Judea and Samaria.

“Waste-burning in Judea and Samaria is not merely a local problem – it is a national hazard that affects the air quality of all of us,” Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman said. “Judea and Samaria will no longer be Israel’s environmental backyard.”

“The State of Israel will not bear the costs stemming from negligent environmental behavior by the Arab population in Judea and Samaria. Therefore, we demanded that the Civil Administration and the Ministry of Finance deduct Palestinian Authority funds to cover the costs of rehabilitation, transport, and waste treatment, and until this is carried out, we will allocate emergency funds for this activity.”

Environmental Protectiongarbagepollution