Can Water Bring the Political Process to A Safe Shore? December 8th, INSS, Tel Aviv ISRAELI and INTERNATIONAL ROUNDTABLE Event: Water Issues, from Source of Conflict to Vehicle for Regional Cooperation and Stability In cooperation with the global German political foundation, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung – Israel, and the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Tel […]

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(editorial) Nov 23,2016 The UN climate change conference, held recently in Morocco as a crucial step for governments looking to build on the Paris Climate Change Agreement adopted last year, was proof that the implementation of the Paris Agreement is under way and that the spirit of multilateral cooperation on climate change continues. Yet, while […]

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Najib Saad 14/11/2016 Even if all conflicts and wars were to stop immediately, the Arab region cannot meet the target of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 using traditional methods. Many Arab countries have experienced collapse at gigantic scale over the past years, which has largely reduced their hopes to no more than re-establishing […]

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Najib Saab, Submitted to the Board of Trustees Meeting on 10 November 2016 (Download the PPT Presentation) Excerpts of the report: Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) is closing its most challenging year, in a region overwhelmed by security and economic turmoil. Although we continue to believe that, after all sorts of conflicts and […]

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By AMOTZ ASA-EL 11/19/2016 The power-generating canal Theodore Herzl envisioned has become imperative to avert environmental calamity. The Dead Sea, one of the world’s most un-swimmable lakes, joined this week gloried swimming venues from the English Channel to the Cook Straits when a battalion of gutsy adventurers entered its oily waters in Jordan, and emerged […]

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Since April, northern Israel’s farmers forced to contend with the ‘longest summer in the country’s history’ amid total absence of rainfall; as reservoirs and streams remain empty, farmers are forced to activate irrigation systems; ‘we assume there is a drought every year unless proven otherwise.’ Ahiya Raved, Eli Segal and Tamar Avraham|Published: 29.11.16 , 11:01 […]

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With the Palestinian population approaching two million, a new World Bank report says that if no measures are taken by 2020, Gaza will no longer have usable water; While Israel provides technical support and advice, new wastewater plants are needed. The Media Line|Published: 03.12.16 As the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip approaches two million […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/01/2016 A statement from the ministry stressed that the office “stands by the goal of reducing public exposure to pollutants and preventing danger to residents in all of its activities.” A number of Beit Meir residents were evacuated on Wednesday – again – this time due to concerns over the presence of […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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‘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, […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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