Sources familiar with details on the project tell Haaretz that construction near Majdal Shams and Masadeh, in northern Israel, is expected to resume within a few days. However, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif – the Druze spiritual leader – has called on the government to ensure construction on the project remains halted
Adi Hashmonai. Jonathan Lis. Aug 25, 2023
The Israeli government is expected to approve the transfer of 76 million shekels (roughly $20 million) to Druze local councils in the country’s north on Sunday, in an effort to pave the way for renewing the construction of a wind turbine near two villages.
Sources familiar with details on the project tell Haaretz that construction near Majdal Shams and Masadeh is expected to resume within a few days. However, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif – the Druze spiritual leader – has called on the government to ensure construction on the project remains halted.
Energix, the company leading construction, said that it’s “prepared to renew the construction immediately, within the parameters set forth by the Prime Minister’s Office,” pending coordination with police.
Construction had been halted in June by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after several days of intense protests against the construction of a wind turbine. The third day of protests was considerably violent, with demonstrators and police clashing. Five protesters were critically injured, including one hit by gunfire, and six more were arrested.
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Those clashes led to an expansion of the protest movement into other cities in northern Israel, with many roads and main intersections blocked. In Masadeh, hundreds of protesters encircled a police station, with some entering the premises and attacking officers. 12 police officers were injured during that incident.
In June, Netanyahu explained that he had decided to halt construction “due to the recommendations of the Shin Bet and Israel Police chiefs.”
Druze officials say that there is no agreement with the government regarding the renewal of construction: “Negotiations are taking place all the time, but [the Druze] demand construction remain frozen until an agreed upon solution is reached.”
Dolan Abu-Salah, the head of Majdal Shams local council, also said he is unaware of any such agreement. Karameh Abu-Salah, a lawyer from Majdal Shams who took part in negotiations between the Druze officials and Energix, was surprised by the reports: “I was in all the meetings, and we didn’t reach any agreement,” he explained.
On Friday, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif clarified that the negotiations with the government are still in progress, and called for construction to remain on hold. “The freezing of [construction] work must continue. [The Druze] will continue to fight for their rights.”
Israeli ministers will be asked to approve the transfer of nine million shekels ($2.4 million) to Druze towns and villages in the Golan Heights and 67 million shekels ($17.7 million) to Druze villages in northern Israel. These figures were finalized after a special task force was asked in July to examine the budgetary demands of Druze villages and towns.
The task force consists of the director-generals of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Interior Ministry and the Finance Ministry, and they were asked to submit their report within a month. Shlomit Barnea Farago, the legal adviser for the Prime Minister’s Office, examined the report and determined that there’s no legal impediment for greenlighting the plan. However, she did say the timing of the matter – months before local elections in councils that would profit from the plan – is sensitive.
Energix plans to build dozens of wind turbines in the area, but residents of nearby towns oppose this, even though some of the landowners originally signed contracts allowing the turbines to be built on their lands. Local residents claim their opposition to the project is based on the fact that the turbines would harm their health and damage the local farming fields. Additionally, they are concerned that it would harm the rustic nature of the area, which drives local tourism.
In response, Energix claimed that the project would create jobs for hundreds of families in the area, and improve the energy infrastructure.