By Ahmad El-Atrash Palestine is a small country that is engulfed by problems that have evolved throughout modern history as a serious challenge to the sustainable development of contemporary Palestinian society. Inevitably, un-harmonised urbanisation within the Palestinian context is one of the most persistent challenges that undermine the development of Palestinian statehood. One tangible cause […]

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National planning bodies approved a park but threw cold water on Petah Tikva’s plan to pay for it by building more homes and shops By Zafrir Rinat The city of Petah Tikva found out the hard way that the state won’t stand for paying for the preservation of a green area by developing more land. […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/25/2010 20:24 November set to be worst ever for Kinneret, forecasters predict dry spell to continue into December; cabinet to discuss emergency water plan. With no significant rainfall thus far, the dire predictions about this winter have become a reality, the Water Authority said on Thursday. With November nearing its end, […]

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Rain seems to elude the Kingdom, although traditionally the wet season will have started quite some time ago. Unless the weather changes, the country could be facing a worrisome development: acute lack of water, not only for agricultural but also for domestic use, a fear that never really leaves countries poor in this precious commodity. […]

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By Mohammad Ben Hussein AMMAN – The Muslim Brotherhood movement on Thursday organised a mass prayer for rain in Tabarbour amid concerns that the delay in the onset of the wet season could lead to a substantial decline in the Kingdom’s water reserves. Hundreds participated in the event, including women, children and the elderly. This […]

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by Arieh O’Sullivan 25 November 2010 JERUSALEM – It’s been said that everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it. Well, seven years of drought in the Holy Land has been so bad that it has brought together Muslim, Christian and Jewish clerics to offer prayers for rain. The rainy season […]

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GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The first concrete was poured Thursday morning in the Western-funded construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. French Consul General Frederic Desagneaux participated in the ceremony along with representatives of the other donors, which include the World Bank, the European Union, Belgium, and […]

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One more refinery worker in critical condition, with seven others ill after inhaling poisonous gas. By Eli Ashkenazi and News Agencies * * Published 21:42 23.11.10 * Latest update 23:15 23.11.10 Three dead after toxic leak at Haifa oil refinery One more refinery worker in critical condition, with seven others ill after inhaling poisonous gas. […]

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Industry minister threatens to shut down the oil installation after a toxic leak that left three workers dead. Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer threatened Wednesday to close down oil refineries in the city of Haifa, a day after a toxic leak left three workers dead. “The whole area is like a nuclear bomb […]

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The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. Even bad economic decisions may stem from a surplus of good intentions. By Doron Tsur A few years ago I wrote several articles on the folly of producing corn-based ethanol as fuel for cars. At the time the United States was encouraging ethanol use […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/21/2010 03:12 Society of Electrical and Electronic Engineers chairman says only engineers can solve tomorrow’s problems. The world needs engineers to solve tomorrow’s problems, just as they have been solving today’s problems, according to Emil Koifman, chairman of The Society of Electrical and Electronic Engineers in Israel. The engineering organization held […]

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Russians looking for more Israeli economic cooperation. By TheMarker and Agencies re Russian-Israeli economic ties picking up steam? Russian natural gas giant Gazprom plans to buy into an Israeli offshore gas project this year, Russian media outlets yesterday. Also, the joint Russian-Israeli intergovernmental committee of economic cooperation, headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Russian […]

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Steinitz agrees to hold the meeting even though there will be an official hearing process for the gas companies, scheduled for next month. By Avi Bar-Eli Delek Group controlling shareholder Yitzhak Tshuva, Delek Energy CEO Gideon Tadmor and Isramco controlling shareholder Kobi Maimon met with Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and treasury Director General Haim Shani […]

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The project is intended to bring to light how ordinary people and key stakeholders can, do, and should cooperate to address “human security” challenges in four areas of critical importance to the future of the region: 1) migration, 2) higher education, 3) environment, and 4) public health. During the third stage of the project — […]

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As it enters its second decade, the Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership looks to create a critical mass of ‘change agents.’ There’s a gathering buzz if you listen closely enough. People are talking about environmental and social change in a similar way across an array of professions. You can hear it in the […]

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Dust storms scour Iraq. Freak floods wreak havoc in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Rising sea levels erode Egypt’s coast. Hotter, drier weather worsens water scarcity in the Middle East, already the world’s most water-short region. The Arab world is already suffering impacts consistent with climate change predictions. Although scientists are wary […]

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By Raed Omari AMMAN – By virtue of its geographical location, Jordan is probably experiencing negative effects of climate change, although it is too early to be absolutely sure, environmental experts said. Commenting on the delay in rainfall the Kingdom is currently experiencing, Jawad Bakri, a professor in environmental remote sensing at the University of […]

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West Bank Jews are making tourism sites of water sources that Palestinians use for agriculture. By Zafrir Rinat Springwater continues to be vital to Palestinian farmers, but recently, at the settlers’ initiative, many springs on the other side of the Green Line have been turned into tourism sites from which the Palestinians are barred. Hebrew-language […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Stakeholders of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Study Programme (Red-Dead project) are scheduled to convene in Israel later this month to review progress, a government official said Saturday. Representatives of the three beneficiary governments (Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel,) as well as World Bank experts, are expected to […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Water supply to the public will remain unchanged, while irrigation water for farmers in the Jordan Valley will be reduced due to the lack of rainfall, government officials said on Monday. Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar said the ministry is drawing up plans to address the water shortage […]

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