The Ministry of Environment and Water will be given new powers to penalize polluters and develop recycling under legislation expected to be introduced this year. Broad reforms being considered for environmental laws will allow the ministry to bypass the courts and punish offenders. Dr Rashid bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, said his ministry […]

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West Bank utility agrees to buy $1.2 billion worth of natural gas for a power plant to go up near Jenin. By Eran Azran | Jan. 6, 2014 The first customer to sign up to buy gas from Israel’s giant Leviathan field is the Palestine Power Generation Company, which is developing an electric power plant […]

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Demands using site for settlements’ garbage too By Zafrir Rinat | Jan. 9, 2014 The Civil Administration refuses to allow the operation of a landfill funded by the World Bank and intended to serve the Palestinian population south of Jerusalem. The administration is demanding that the Palestinians agree to let the region’s settlements use the […]

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Israel recently disclosed that its desalination capacity exceeds the country’s water needs. By Avi Bar-Eli | Jan. 9, 2014 | Both Jordan and the Palestinians are seeking to buy Israel’s excess desalinated water, TheMarker has learned. Israel recently disclosed that its desalination capacity exceeds the country’s water needs, and the Jordanian government contacted Israel in […]

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January 03, 2014 12:08 AM By Rola Majdalani, Joelle Comair In this period of profound turmoil and transformations that the Arab world is witnessing, regional cooperation for over even the most basic subjects remains elusive and cooperation over something as complex as shared water resources seems hopeless. However, in a changing and increasingly uncertain world, […]

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by SHARON UDASIN 01/06/2014 State has abandoned natural resources to tycoons rather than using them for public’s benefit, charges Hadash MK Henin. The government must create a national database to control the country’s natural resources, as well as limit the activities of mining giants, environmental advocacy group leaders stressed on Sunday. “The field of natural […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/09/2014 Court decision says building resort could cause “irreparable harm” to the beach, one of the last beaches remaining in nature state in Israel. Ending a decade-long battle over the fate of Palmahim Beach, the Central District Court rejected a petition earlier this week in which developers requested authorization to construct a […]

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by JT | Jan 09, 2014 AMMAN — The government will not decide to proceed with the national nuclear programme until after some 20 months from now, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Thursday. At a meeting with a number of ministers, nuclear experts and opponents of the project, Ensour said the government is open to […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/07/2014 Goal is to improve appearance, signage, tourism businesses and public seating areas. The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry, alongside the Tourism Ministry, are investing NIS 60 million in a campaign to strengthen eco-tourism in the country’s rural areas. Launching the plans this year, the two ministries will jointly operate the program […]

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The Israel Nature and Parks Authority is undergoing a shake-up of both staff and vision; How the government agency will emerge remains to be seen. By Zafrir Rinat | Jan. 9, 2014 The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has recently been undergoing a shake-up of its leadership amid efforts to find its way forward. A […]

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Najib Saab December 2013 Dozens of Lebanese seeking new opportunities in Australia lost their lives when a boat carrying them from an island in Indonesia capsized. While the Phoenicians were known to be adventuring traders and daring seafarers roaming throughout the world, their descendants are fleeing their sinking homeland in search for stability and better […]

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JENIN, December 30, 2013 (WAFA) – Israeli settlers from the Illegal Israeli settlement of Meirav Monday pumped waste water coming out of the settlement into the nearby Palestinian village of Jalboun, east of Jenin, according to local sources. Director General of Marj Ibn Amer municipality, Helal Nassar, told WAFA that the municipality filed an official […]

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Nature protection society countering urban building plans throughout the greater Tel Aviv area. By Zafrir Rinat | Jan. 3, 2014 Between Sheba Hospital at Tel Hashomer and a nearby army base are about 100 dunams (25 acres) of good hamra (Arabic for “red”) soil. More than 200 species of plants flourish on this island surrounded […]

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Natural gas deposits aimed at replacing 60 percent of oil use in Israel by 2025, as switching from oil could bring consumer savings, tax income to add another percentage point to GDP Reuters Israel plans to cut oil use in transportation by 60 percent by 2025, an aggressive target by world standards, and will tap […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/02/2014 After two sufficiently wet winters, Israel will be operating its desalination facilities at only 70 percent capacity during 2014, government officials recently decided. Although the country’s desalination facilities in 2014 will have a collective capacity of 510 million cubic meters annually, this year they will only be generating a total of […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Jan 02, 2014 AMMAN — The expansion of the Kufranjah Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ajloun Governorate is expected to be completed later this year, according to government officials. The expansion, which is also accompanied by a project to extend new sewage networks in the governorate, some 70km northwest of Amman, will […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Dec 30, 2013 AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has launched a project to rehabilitate water networks in Ajloun Governorate, according to government officials. Under the project, a local contractor will renovate water systems in Ajloun in the north of the country, increase the capacity of pumping stations and […]

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Bird brought by ambulance found to be suffering from acute lead poisoning. By Ruth Schuster | Dec. 31, 2013 Israel is the single land bridge between Africa and Eurasia, making the land a paradise for bird-watchers, especially in migration season. Fish farmers are somewhat less enthused as flocks of ravenous avians descend on their ponds, […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/31/2013 Knesset c’tee to discuss potential prohibition of the sport on Wednesday; currently, hunting allowed from Sept-Jan. Some 72 percent of the public favor a prohibition on hunting, a survey commissioned by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel revealed on Tuesday. SPNI will present this figure and other results […]

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GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza’s sole power plant began to function as normal after Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday, allowing shipments of diesel fuel to enter the Strip, a Palestinian source said. Raed Fattough, who coordinates the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip, told Ma’an that shipments of diesel and gasoline […]

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