RAMALLAH, October 14, 2013 (WAFA) – A team from National Geographic listened Monday to Palestinian officials speak about the situation in the Palestinian areas, mainly those that remain under full Israeli control. The team met at the presidential headquarters with Nimr Hammad, political advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas, and other officials. Hammad complained that Israeli […]

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Municipalities prefer income from curbside parking spaces to freeing up extra traffic lanes. By Daniel Schmil | Oct. 10, 2013 The early morning radio traffic reports give the impression that most of the country’s gridlock is concentrated on intercity expressways like the Ayalon and Geha highways. But when they get into their cars and start […]

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Municipality told court a deal had been reached on 6-lane highway that would bisect their village. Not so, say Beit Safafa residents. By Nir Hasson | Oct. 13, 2013 Residents of an East Jerusalem neighborhood that stands to be severed in half due to construction of a six-lane highway are claiming that the Jerusalem municipality […]

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Bike paths, clean air, coastal preservation are suddenly considered vote-getters. By Zafrir Rinat | Oct. 15, 2013 Until a few years ago, it was hard to convince politicians that there was any electoral benefit in promoting environmental projects, such as bike paths. They were interested mostly in big projects such as paving roads and real […]

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Gas and oil won’t make Lebanon happier – Daily Star October 11, 2013 12:16 AM By Imad Atalla A responsible and happy citizenry forms the fundamental underpinning of a happy nation. How does gas and oil figure in the happiness equation? Gas and oil are the latest drama in Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus. While all […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/26/2013 20:08 The Israeli renewable energy firm Ormat Technologies Inc. will likely be providing online auction giant eBay Inc. with a 5-megawatt recovered energy generation (REG) power plant to be constructed in Utah, the companies announced on Thursday. The firms recently signed a joint development agreement that will allow them to proceed […]

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October 12, 2013 12:28 AM By Kevin J. Noone Take a deep breath. Savor it for a moment. Now consider this: None of our modern human ancestors ever breathed anything like it – and, the way things are going, nor will our descendants. Since the Industrial Revolution began, human activity has substantially changed the atmosphere’s […]

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From 10,000 Israeli households separating their garbage four years ago, 215,000 do so today. The trend is favorable, but separation facilities are not keeping up with the demand. By Zafrir Rinat     | Jun. 24, 2013 | Source:  Haaretz Three years after the Environmental Protection Ministry began promoting its garbage-sorting and recycling project, household waste […]

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Posted on September 15, 2013 by Robert Gluck / source: JNS.org Sept. 13 marked the 20th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, and Middle East peace remains elusive. But rather than focusing on the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) aims to train a new generation of environmental leaders […]

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Appeal for more electricity made to Israel to no avail. By Zafrir Rinat | Sep. 23, 2013 A large sewage treatment plant is being constructed in Gaza with funding from the World Bank, but may not become operational due to a dire shortage of required electric power. The Palestinian Authority has approached Israel with a […]

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Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz says proposal, which would hem in two East Jerusalem neighborhoods, has no ‘particularly sensitive natural value.’ By Nir Hasson | Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz on Wednesday froze a plan to create a new national park on the slopes of Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus, saying the area has no “particularly sensitive […]

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HEBRON, October 2, 2013 (WAFA) – Israeli authorities Wednesday informed residents of the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, of its intention to demolish 10 water wells in the area, according to a local activist. The popular committee coordinator in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour, told WAFA that forces raided the area and handed the residents orders […]

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Israel’s leadership frequently warns of a demographic threat to the country’s Jewish majority. Although it is a touchy subject, it is nonetheless important to address how to reduce population growth. By Zafrir Rinat | Oct. 2, 2013 Next week the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences will be holding its annual conference. On the […]

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New wave of urban infrastructure technology, making inroads in Israel, will go on display at the water and wastewater management conference next month in Tel Aviv. By Zafrir Rinat | Sep. 27, 2013 The Binyamina-Givat Ada local council plans a project in the coming year to save electricity – part of a growing trend in […]

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October 04, 2013 12:13 AM By Kareem Shaheen BEIRUT: The most comprehensive map yet of Lebanon’s forests was unveiled Thursday in a major step in efforts to track the health of the country’s tree populations and combat forest fires. The map, part of a new online portal, identifies sites where trees ought to be replanted […]

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By Mohammed Zaatari SIDON, Lebanon: Sidon is just a few steps away from fulfilling a longstanding dream: Getting rid of its suffocating and toxic landfill. The initiative to clear the garbage site was launched after Saudi Arabia donated $20 million to support efforts. The United Nations Development Program is overseeing and providing consulting services for […]

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Reuters, London An offshore gas find in the Nile Delta is strong new evidence that Egypt has the resources to end power cuts and get export income flowing again. Its challenge is to persuade wary international oil companies to develop them. In the deepest well ever drilled in the delta, some 7 km under the […]

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by JT | Sep 30, 2013 | 23:20 AMMAN — Executive director of the Chinese Hunan Herui company, Li Jin Fu, on Monday expressed interest to invest in electricity-generating projects and the silica industry in the Kingdom, expecting the volume of investments to reach $2 billion. During a meeting of several Chinese investors on Monday […]

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U.S. bid to solve Lebanon-Israel EEZ row possibly revived – DAILY STAR BEIRUT: American mediation efforts to resolve a maritime dispute between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be revived this week, following months of impasse over an oil-rich area in the Mediterranean Sea. Reports of a deal emerged during the visit of Israeli President Benjamin […]

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Discourses of Abundance: Transitions in Israel’s Energy Regime by Naama Teschner & Jouni Paavolab Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, Vol. 15, Iss. 3, 2013, pages 447-466 DOI:10.1080/1523908X.2013.776954 abstract:This article examines an on-going socio-technical transition of the Israeli energy regime. This transition includes a shift away from a discourse about the scarcity of energy to […]

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