By Elisabeth Koek The economic state of the newly recognised State of Palestine In the face of the global financial crisis, the Palestinian economy seems to have made significant advances since 2007. Palestine’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) hovered around the US$4.5 billion mark in 2007 and 2008, whereas the 2011 figures point to a GDP […]

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By JPOST EDITORIAL 12/23/2012 22:44 According to the State Comptroller’s Report from October, the Water Authority council should actually be contemplating a price cut. We have been blessed with exceptionally abundant rainfalls and the level of Lake Kinneret has risen more in December than in any other month for a decade. But while there is […]

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Petra | Dec 31, 2012 | 22:01 AMMAN — The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on Monday signed a 45-million-euro soft loan from the French government. The loan will support the Jordan Water Company’s (Miyahuna) project for expanding the water grid to receive water from the ongoing Disi Water Conveyance Project. The agreement was […]

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Israeli election race is all about politics and cost of living, leaving public health, pollution and natural resources far behind Prof. Adi Wolfson Published: 12.23.12 The Israeli election campaign is in full throttle but important issues like air quality, public health and the allocation of natural resources in Israel have yet to be mentioned. How […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Dec 31, 2012 AMMAN — A patrol of rangers from the Ministry of Agriculture’s forestry department has been assaulted while trying to stop illegal loggers from chopping down centennial trees in Ajloun Governorate, the department’s director Mohammad Shorman said on Monday. The recent assault, which occurred late Saturday night, was the […]

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Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, Nature and National Parks Service say planned ‘Gabriella’ project will disrupt maritime reservation; say other alternatives available Chen Pundak, Calcalist Published: 12.30.12 The Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, the Israel Nature and National Parks Service and several other green groups have filed petitions against a gas […]

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December 28, 2012 01:04 AM By Nafez Qawas BEIRUT: The Cabinet Thursday set the first tender for oil and gas exploration for Feb. 1 as Lebanon tries to capitalize on the hidden wealth to wipe out the public debt, stimulate the economy and create more jobs. The Cabinet also set March 21 to publish the […]

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By AFP AMMAN Jordan said on Thursday Egypt has resumed full gas supply of 250 million cubic meters (8.8 billion cubic feet) a day to the energy-poor kingdom, after the flow was disrupted by repeated pipeline attacks. “In the past few days, we received between 190 and 210 million cubic meters of gas from Egypt. […]

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Saudi Arabia readies to export solar power; while Abu Dhabi will soon become home for biggest single-unit solar power plant. Oil states looking at expanding energy ventures News agencies Published: 12.31.12, The oil-rich Persian Gulf states are mulling expanding into alternative energy. According to a UPI report, Abu Dhabi will soon finish construction on the […]

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by Taylor Luck | Dec 30, 2012 | 21:42 AMMAN — Jordan is set to receive $300 million from the Gulf states to boost investment in renewable energy, officials say, as Amman looks to solar and wind power as potential solutions to the country’s chronic energy woes. According to Minister of Energy and Transportation Alaa […]

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By Dr. Ali Qleibo One of the characteristics of a state is the cultural identity of its citizens. Palestine has been reduced to less than a quarter of its original size. Following the Nakba, an important part of Palestine’s cultural and historical heritage was destroyed. What remains of this heritage is in grave danger of […]

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Tzipi Livni’s new party present environmental agenda prompted by party member and Green Movement chair 12.26.12 Tzipi Livni’s Hatnua Party presented its environmental platform last week, ahead of the nearing elections. The party’s green platform is promoted by Green Movement Chairman Alon Tal, who is No. 13 on Hatnua’s Knesset list. The party’s environmental agenda […]

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Hatnuah has absorbed the Green Movement, but only Meretz and Hadash emphasize green issues in their election platforms. By Zafrir Rinat | Dec.20, 2012 Environmental issues are barely registering in the current election campaign, even though they raise important existential concerns such as energy and water supply, building plans for the coming years, public health […]

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Carbon dioxide absorption is making oceans acidic, and sea life might not be able to adapt. 26 Dec 2012 video report: http://www.aljazeera.com/video/middleeast/2012/12/2012122611536560157.html One of the biggest impacts of climate change is on the oceans, which absorb up to 30 percent of all the carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere. This is making sea water more […]

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BAGHDAD: Iraq’s most senior energy official called for coordinated Arab action on climate change while Egypt’s environment minister proposed a regional green fund at a conference in Baghdad on Monday. Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Hussein al-Shahristani warned of the risk of flooding, and also pointed to desertification and sandstorms affecting Iraq in his […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/26/2012 02:28 State comptroller finds area of half-million people ‘has hazardous materials in air, water, land and sea.’ The Haifa Bay Municipal Association for Environmental Protection has done an insufficient job in managing a region that is filled with explosive, flammable and radioactive toxins, State Comptroller Joseph Shapira argued in a report […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/24/2012 23:26 Adam Teva V’Din-Israel Union for Environmental Defense had deemed government’s new oil, gas drilling standards insufficient. The High Court of Justice rejected on Monday morning a petition from environmental activism group Adam Teva V’Din-Israel Union for Environmental Defense that had deemed the government’s new oil and gas drilling standards insufficient. […]

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Rana Khaled Fri, 21/12/2012 Giza is getting a bit more green as part of the “A million roses and 10,000 trees initiative.” Al-Amal Association for Development launched the project several months ago and has so far planted 7,000 trees in squares and on streets around Giza, in cooperation with governorate officials. The green initiative is […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/24/2012 23:20 After 7-year legal battle, Jerusalem court rejects plan to build neighborhood over site off coast of Aqueduct Beach. Following a seven-year legal battle, the Jerusalem District Court has decided to reject a plan to build a neighborhood over a site off the coast of Aqueduct Beach, just north of the […]

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BEIRUT: Hezbollah Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan accused the U.S. Sunday of indirectly aiding Israel to claim part of the Lebanese maritime economic zone by presenting a plan to resolve this issue, the National News Agency reported. “The Zionist ambitions in Lebanon have never stopped and, from what we have heard about an American plan to […]

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