Activists claim park is attempt to stop expansion of Isawiyah and A-Tur villages, authority says park needed to protect archeological sites; four Israelis, one Palestinian arrested trying to stop bulldozers. By Nir Hasson Bulldozers constructing the Mount Scopus National Park near Jerusalem destroyed on Monday what looked like hewn caves of possible archaeological value. No […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/06/2012 03:52 Tel Aviv reports drastic improvement in air over past decade. air pollution By Thinkstock Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) and the Coalition for Public Health submitted a petition to the High Court on Sunday morning to compel the government to confirm the national air program to prevent […]

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Ministry seeks to declare Tel Aviv a pollution-stricken area; city says recent data shows sharp decline in concentration of air pollutants. By Zafrir Rinat The Environmental Protection Ministry is planning to declare Tel Aviv a city with polluted air – but the Tel Aviv municipality released data Sunday showing that the city’s air quality has […]

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Zeitoun, Mark, Karim Eid-Sabbagh, Muna Dajani and Michael Talhami (2012) Hydro-political Baseline of the Upper Jordan River. Beirut, Association of the Friends of Ibrahim Abd el Al. http://www.uea.ac.uk/watersecurity/publications abstract: The Hydropolitical Baseline of the Upper Jordan River study examines the history and current politics of water use in the basin – specifically the Liddan, Banias […]

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At today’s Jordan River, the long history of Christian pilgrimage intersects with religious tourism. For many Christians, baptism in the Jordan provides the opportunity for a second baptism or a rebirth experience. Christian pilgrims cannot help but experience the Jordan as a border if they seek baptism near Jericho where Jordan and Israel have established […]

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Locals living near stream-filled “wadis”, or valleys, resist government advice to leave. Last Modified: 27 Jan 2012 17:12 The stream-lined valleys of Oman have supplied a vital water source to generations of families. Now, however, the government wants thousands of residents of villages near Wadi Dayqah, a massive watershed with a year-round stream, to leave […]

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Israel’s government on Sunday gave the green light to building the first rail link between its Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts, offering a new Asia-Europe trade route to compete with the Suez Canal. “This is a strategic decision,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers at the cabinet’s weekly meeting. “In the coming decade, new (economic) […]

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Keeping Kikar Hamedina a ‘green lung’ runs contrary to both contemporary urban planning concepts and social justice. By Esther Zandberg Like an inborn reflex, once again the suggestion is being raised to cancel the building plans for Kikar Hamedina in Tel Aviv and transfer the building rights elsewhere, leaving this enormous area as a “green […]

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The Environmental Protection Ministry has started imposing stiff fines on companies that contaminate. By Zafrir Rinat Last week the Environmental Protection Ministry set a record for issuing environment-related fines: It notified Tnuva that the company would be fined NIS 15 million for violations of the Prevention of Sea Pollution law. An administrative procedure was used […]

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Since we don’t know, and may never know, which species are keystones for our survival, and which are ecologically superfluous, we should protect them all. By Daniel Orenstein “With little regret but out of respect to protocol, the State of Israel announces the loss of Cerbalus aravensis, a newly discovered species of spider, which made […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/31/2012 04:45 Known scientifically as Nemacheilus dori, the fish are found only in Israel and exclusively in waters of a tiny wetland reserve. Nemacheilus dori fish By Israel Nature and Parks Authority In a tiny mud-drenched nature reserve just off Road 90, on the way to Beit Shean, black pin-sized baby fish […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/05/2012 06:06 INPA celebrates frogs, salamanders for World Wetlands Day. Salamander By Thinkstock/Imagebank This weekend, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) celebrated the lives of some slimy, speckled swamp species, devoting events on Saturday to animals such as the salamander and the Hula painted frog in honor of World Wetlands Day. […]

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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Jordan and Israel are planning to build on a large solar thermal power plant on their border, Israeli press said Monday. The power plant is designed to start producing 50-150 mega watt in 2016, and cost an estimated $300 – 600 million, the Hebrew daily Maariv reported. Israel’s Ministry of Regional Cooperation […]

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February 02, 2012 02:16 AM The Daily Star BEIRUT: A visiting delegation of Danish experts believe that wind-generated electricity in the northern region of Akkar, expected to produce some 140 Megawatts of power, could be available in as little as 13 months. Beirut MP Mohammad Qabbani, who chairs Parliament’s Public Works, Energy and Water Committee […]

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Yale University Environmental Performance Index ranks countries on 22 aspects of environmental performance comparing countries’ achievements in applying environmental policy goals. By Zafrir Rinat * * Published 02:14 01.02.12 * Latest update 02:14 01.02.12 Israel receives middling ranking in green survey Yale University Environmental Performance Index ranks countries on 22 aspects of environmental performance comparing […]

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SPNI and JNF battle over the nature of Israel’s north, as Tu Bishvat, Jewish Arbor Day nears. By Zafrir Rinat On the eve of Tu Bishvat, two of the country’s leading ecological groups are feuding over the character of open spaces in northern Israel. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI ) […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/02/2012 06:08 Available pollution info is lacking, green group says. Pollution By REUTERS The brunt of lower and western Galilee factories does not comply with the standards of the Clean Air Law, a local green group found. Only two of three surveyed wastewater-treatment facilities in the region comply with the country’s sewage […]

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Overflow from Ga’aton River, which runs through Nahariya, causes extensive property damage each year. By Zafrir Rinat Townships in the Western Galilee have for the first time prepared a plan to prevent recurrent floods that damage property and waste precious water every winter. The Ga’aton River, which runs through Nahariya, serves as drainage for much […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/03/2012 04:37 All but one of 22 Palestinian villages refuse connection to sewage line, Environmental Protection Ministry says. Gilad Erdan tours Samarian communities By Courtesy Environmental Protection Ministry Swirling in the strikingly green valley below the southern Samaria community of Nofim is a rambling stream amid grass and trees – filled with […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/02/2012 06:02 200% increase in diesel fuel consumption, 108% rise in jet fuel oil use seen in 2011. Power station in southern city of Ashdod By Amir Cohen/Reuters Due to the lack of production reserves in the electricity sector, Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau said he expects there to be temporary […]

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