Ultra-Orthodox residents of nearby Arad and adjacent Bedouin settlements have forced the state to freeze plans indefinitely
Zafrir Rinat. Aug 9, 2023
Objections by ultra-Orthodox parties have postponed a plan for a phosphate mining site near the city of Arad, home to a large Haredi population.
The government wanted to develop the Sde Brir site in the Negev, but the expected air pollution by the site, as well as delays in the regulation of Bedouin settlement in the area, have caused it to postpone debates on the matter indefinitely.
The Rotem Amfert Negev chemical company has been advancing plans to mine phosphate ore at Sde Brir. The site is close to Arad, and its proposed area mostly overlaps the Al-Furaa Bedouin settlement, home to over 10,000 people. Over the years, the local Bedouins, Arad residents and environmental groups have fought against the plan over fears that mining phosphate will pollute the area and damage their health.
Earlier this year, the government formulated a draft resolution for the national planning and construction council to set guidelines for an environmental impact survey of Sde Brir. The Energy Ministry was supposed to conduct the survey and submit it for the approval of the planning bodies as soon as possible. The wording of the draft resolution shows that the government tried to expedite the procedure, without a discussion of Israel’s phosphate mining policy, as the previous government requested. The draft resolution was advanced by the Prime Minister’s Office, in coordination with the energy and economy ministries.
Earlier this year, the government formulated a draft resolution for the national planning and construction council to set guidelines for an environmental impact survey of Sde Brir. The Energy Ministry was supposed to conduct the survey and submit it for the approval of the planning bodies as soon as possible. The wording of the draft resolution shows that the government tried to expedite the procedure, without a discussion of Israel’s phosphate mining policy, as the previous government requested. The draft resolution was advanced by the Prime Minister’s Office, in coordination with the energy and economy ministries.
The discussion on the draft resolution was supposed to be held a month ago, but was postponed without setting a new date after it turned out that ministers from Haredi parties, including Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, opposed the plan.
Delays in regulating the Bedouin settlement also contributed to the postponement. A few days prior to the scheduled discussion, outgoing director of the Bedouin Settlement Authority, Yair Maayan, wrote to Planning Administration Director Rafi Elmaleh that the Sde Brir plan can’t be advanced until the Bedouin settlement is planned and legally arranged, and that the environmental hazards cannot be assessed until the planning and approval of the settlement is completed.
“According to health officials, the mine will endanger the lives of all the residents in the area, which is why I opposed the development of Sde Brir,” Maayan explained.
“The residents of al-Furaa live in the area of the mine and it’s necessary to arrange a settlement for them that will fit 15,000 residents in the future. This is a process that will take years.”
In a response, the Prime Minister’s Office indicated that it intends to bring the draft resolution for approval at a future date “in order to instruct the planning authorities to continue with the planning process.”
The Economy Ministry said in response that “the planning authorities and the Bedouin Authority must advance the regulation of the village of Al-Furaa concurrent with advancement of an environmental impact survey.” The Energy Ministry said that “The environmental impact survey the ministry is expected to conduct will examine the effect of mining upon permanent solutions for the unregulated Bedouin population in the area.”
The Environmental Protection Agency said that “The environmental impact survey can be advanced prior to completion of the planning of Al-Furaa, but the plan itself cannot be advanced without a solution for the local population.”