The first group to offer help to Israel in fighting the fires is Palestinian Authority; some 20 firefighters are sent to help; MK Odeh lauds the country’s coming together, criticizes those seeking to incite against Arabs. Ynet reporters|Published: 25.11.16 , 15:55 Eight firefighting brigades form the Palestinian Authority came to Israel overnight Thursday to help […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Nov 27,2016 AMMAN — The Civil Defence Department (CDD) on Sunday announced that its cadres had helped put out the fires that erupted in several areas in Israel and the West Bank, responding to an official request the government had received, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The support is part of the “humanitarian and […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 11/29/2016 Rehabilitation efforts already underway in KKL-JNF forests After a series of fires blazed through the country’s forests over the past week, environmentalists are urging the government to let the earth heal itself naturally, rather than rushing to replant trees. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to both rebuild the homes […]

Read the rest of this entry »

‘Winter is beginning later, and the months of November and December have become very dry, with strong winds,’ Hanoch Tzoref of JNF says. Nir Hasson Nov 29, 2016 9 The forest fires of the past few years will only get worse in the years to come, experts warned Sunday. In the Jerusalem Hills area alone, […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Experts predict that the extent of damage caused to natural resorts and forests by the fires could require up to 30 years before a full recovery is achieved; while some wildlife managed to survive the flames, others such as snakes and turtles were not so lucky. Roi Yanovsky and Ilana Curiel|Published: 28.11.16 , 09:36 The […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Experts recommended buffer zones between homes and brush, but plan has been sitting on interior minister’s desk since 2014. Yaniv Kubovich and Zafrir Rinat Nov 25, 2016 A plan to create buffer zones in woodland communities has been sitting on the interior minister’s desk for more than two years, awaiting approval. One firefighting official told […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Fire & Rescue Authority adds more firefighters, establishes a firefighting planes squadron, and upgraded its technology, but what it’s missing is a permanent leadership, as the appointment of the commission and many senior officers is delayed. Meir Turgeman, Roi Yanovsky|Published: 23.11.16 , 12:38 Israel’s Fire & Rescue Authority has undergone a complete overhaul since the […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By Hana Namrouqa – Nov 23,2016 AMMAN — Over 1,500 forest trees, some of which were centennial, were destroyed in a fire that erupted on Wednesday morning in Ajloun Governorate, according to the authorities. The fire started at 7:30am and was extinguished five hours later, destroying 70 dunums of forest trees and dry grass, the […]

Read the rest of this entry »

November 24, 2016 A huge wildfire erupted Thursday in the Mimes area in the southern region of Hasbaya, state-run National News Agency reported. “The flames are gutting forestlands and olive trees,” NNA said. Civil Defense firefighters assisted by residents are trying to douse the blaze, the agency added. Raging bushfires have forced the evacuation of […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week’s fires were about 80 percent as bad with a similar problem: Pine forests might now expand at the expense of natural woodlands. Zafrir Rinat Nov 27, 2016 Israel’s five days of fires have burned more than 20,000 dunams (5,000 acres) of forest, brushland and other open space, a similar scope as the record […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Tehran officials shut schools on Monday as the first of the winter’s heavy pollution hit the Iranian capital. A blanket of choking brown-white smog descended on the city on Sunday, blocking out the view of the mountains that line its northern edge and leading many of its 14 million residents to retreat indoors or don […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 11/17/2016 As part of the operation, officials seized tools, equipment and 160 tons of wood, which is used for charcoal production, a statement from COGAT said. In an effort to curb air pollution levels in the northern West Bank, the Civil Administration conducted an enforcement operation to shut down charcoal production in […]

Read the rest of this entry »

11/22/2016 Blaze spreads northwestward due to high winds and dry weather conditions. Residents of various communities in central and northern Israel were evacuated from their homes Tuesday as a forest fire that broke out Monday night in the country’s center spread due to high winds and unseasonably high temperatures. Authorities evacuated residents from the northern […]

Read the rest of this entry »

5,000 vehicles have been towed away since campaign was launched in 2011 By Hana Namrouqa – Nov 12,2016 AMMAN — More than 1,300 abandoned cars have been removed from the streets of the capital since the start of this year, according to a municipal official. Under an ongoing effort to rid the streets of Amman […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Residents of the al-Sfira town in North Lebanon blocked the major road to the village protesting a decision to establish a landfill in the area, the National News Agency reported on Saturday. The locals blocked the road with burning tires and protested the municipality’s performance and a decision to establish a waste sorting plant in […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Desalinated water low on magnesium is creating a stealthy public health crisis in Israel and the government is settling for a committee. Peretz Darr Nov 15, 2016 Drought has always been a threat of existential proportions in the Middle East. The path Israel chose to mitigate its impact was discussed in the New York Times […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Area in heavily congested central region will be left as green lung for the public, even though it will remain open land rather than nature reserve. Zafrir Rinat Nov 13, 2016 The National Planning and Building Council decided last week to advance a plan to turn a large area of central Israel’s Sharon Plain into […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Greenpeace Israel hails cabinet decision, but declares that new master plan to exploit renewable energy options must be drawn up. Zafrir Rinat Nov 15, 2016 read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.753297

Read the rest of this entry »

By Linda Gradstein | The Media Line November 10, 2016 Country hopes to reduce dependence on oil by 60 percent Tel Aviv, Israel – The motorized scooter, with chrome gleaming in the sun, is mounted on a turning platform. Visitors to the fourth annual Fuel Choices Summit stop and take selfies with the gleaming futuristic-looking […]

Read the rest of this entry »

According to a recent report, Israel has the highest percentage of students studying social and environmental science in the OECD; meanwhile, the Jewish state comes in dead last in terms of students studying architecture. Gad Lior|Published: 12.11.16 Israel has come in first place amongst all 32 OECD countries in the percentage of people who study […]

Read the rest of this entry »