HAARETZ – Israel Admits Cutting West Bank Water Supply, but Blames Palestinian Authority Israel says region’s intense heatwave combined with Palestinian Water Authority’s refusal to approve additional infrastructure had led to ‘old and limited pipes being unable to transfer all the water needed.’ Amira Hass Jun 21, 2016 Since the start of this month, tens […]

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June 14, 2016 GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Top officials from the United Nations and the European Union traveled to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to visit a seawater desalination plant under construction in the besieged coastal enclave. EU Commissioner of European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn visited the EU-funded plant located in the […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 06/22/2016 Israel Water Authority: The need for an additional desalination plant came about as natural freshwater sources in Northern Israel have been drying up. A plan to build a desalination plant in northern Israel has drawn the ire of local residents and legislators as well. However, an official from the Israel […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Jun 16,2016 AMMAN — Construction on the JD4 million Wadat Dam in Tafileh Governorate will begin in August to collect rainwater for agricultural purposes, officials said on Wednesday. “The dam will be 150 cubic metres long and 27 metres high… It will be ready within 18 months after construction commences in […]

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The salinity of the Sea of Galilee’s water is on the rise, which could affect both drinking water and water used in agriculture. What’s the solution? Asaf Ben Neriah, 18.06.16 The last few dry winters northern Israel has experienced are taking their toll on the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee), with the salt levels in […]

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AFP, United Nations, United States Friday, 17 June 2016 The Palestinians have begun talks with Egypt on setting out the maritime borders of their hoped for future state and the resources they can extract from the sea, their UN ambassador to the United Nations said Friday. The goal is to establish an exclusive economic zone […]

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MALKA GROSSMAN 06/22/2016 The Environmental Protection Ministry on Wednesday provided an update on the plan to relocate Haifa’s 17,000-ton ammonia production and storage facility. Director-general Yisrael Dancziger, speaking in the northern city, said the ministry is in the final stages of accepting bids on the tender to build a replacement ammonia production facility in Mishor […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 06/14/2016 Environmental groups have often voiced their concerns that petroleum in the region was likely “tight oil,” which could require non-conventional drilling procedures such as hydraulic fracturing. It’s common to hear about the environmental impact of oil drilling, especially the kind that requires hydraulic fracturing – commonly called fracking – but […]

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Report: Petroleum Authority Says Lebanon’s Southern Oil Fields are ‘Promising’ Lebanon’s oil exploration file is back to the forefront after it was shadowed by the overall paralysis governing the country, at a time when Israel is about to start its oil production which threatens to syphon off Lebanon’s oil and gas where the fields overlap. […]

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Jun 11,2016 Mohammad Najjar The Jordanian economy has been, and will continue to be in the foreseeable future, dependent on foreign aid, particularly from Gulf countries and the United States. Recent signs that grants from Gulf countries will diminish constitute a major concern for policymakers in the Kingdom and raise doubts as to whether the […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 06/08/2016 Every day Dead Sea area residents witness the lake level subside through evaporation in the torrid summer heat; the Sea is dropping by 1.2 meters annually. The plan to desalinate water from the Gulf of Aqaba, pump the sweet water to parched Amman, and pour the brine into the Dead […]

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Move comes despite Israeli authorities telling international agencies that there would be no demolitions during the month of Ramadan. Amira Hass Jun 18, 2016 Israel intends to destroy a water-holding tank that serves 20 families of Palestinian shepherds and their flocks in the northern Jordan Valley. This, despite the fact that Israel’s coordinator of government […]

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Jun 11,2016 AMMAN — One refugee costs Jordan JD500 every year for water and wastewater services, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said on Saturday. Nasser made these remarks at a meeting with UNICEF Representative to Jordan Robert Jenkins to announce a JD2 million UNICEF grant to finance projects in the Northern Badia and Ajloun areas to […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Jun 13,2016 AMMAN — The authorities on Sunday removed illegal fixtures on a water main in south Amman, through which more than 2,500 cubic metres of drinking water was being diverted daily, according to an official source. A team from the Water Ministry, the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) and security forces […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Jun 07,2016 AMMAN — Drilling of three new wells in the northern region has commenced to meet the increased demand for water brought on by the influx of Syrian refugees, officials said on Monday. “Drilling the new wells is urgent to deal with an unprecedented demand for water in Ajloun and […]

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Cabinet Postpones Janna Dam Debate as Kataeb Ministers Walk Out over Waste File The cabinet met on Thursday and decided to postpone the discussions on the thorny file of the Janna Valley dam until the next session, Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Tammam Salam who reiterated the necessity […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 06/13/2016 In Kfar Saba’s Hayarok neighborhood, for example, drainpipes on the street funnel water underneath the fairly new neighborhood to a park at the bottom of a hill. Israel is a leader in desalination and gray water use, but recycled rainwater may prove to be the next frontier in making every […]

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Beaches have shrunk as a result of building constructed in the area, blocking the natural source of sand. Zafrir Rinat Jun 14, 2016 The beaches north of Haifa Port are in danger of disappearing unless they are supplemented by huge amounts of sand, according to a new report written for the Environmental Protection Ministry. Structures […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 06/08/2016 This year’s Black Globe booby prize was given to the Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources Ministry for its “continual failure in managing the energy sector.” At the Knesset’s annual Environment Day held Tuesday, there were many winners but the only one “loser” – the Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources Ministry. […]

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June 13, 2016 GAZA (Ma’an) — Egyptian electricity lines that feed the southern Gaza Strip are working again after being disconnected for several hours. An official at the Electricity Company in Gaza told Ma’an that the Egyptian lines, which power the district of Rafah and parts of Khan Yunis in the south are operational again […]

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