The use of alternatives to petroleum and coal-based energy could save Israel from dependence on Arab oil, increasing air pollution and worries over finite energy sources. So why isn’t the government offering more support? By Neta Ahituv Sep.14, 2012 On the outskirts of Kibbutz Ma’aleh Gilboa stands one of the few wind turbines in Israel. […]

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editor’s note: There are presently no second or third party reports similar to this one. Al-Shabaka Policy Brief 21 August 2012 Victor Kattan * Economic Issues Overview A Freedom of Information request with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by Al-Shabaka has led to the release of new documents on Gaza’s gas fields, and […]

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by JT | Sep 16, 2012 | 23:12 AMMAN — The Kingdom’s oil bill rose by 34.1 per cent in July this year, reaching JD2.75 billion, compared with around JD2.047 billion at the end of the same period in 2011. The cost of imported oil derivatives accounted for 53 per cent of the Kingdom’s energy […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/14/2012 05:31 By enabling high-volume exports, gov’t would effectively be “granting private consortiums astronomical profits,” party says The Green Movement Party is calling upon government officials to reject the recommendations of the Zemach Commission to allow for export of over 50 percent of Israel’s natural gas. Such a decision would “cause unprecedented […]

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By Reuters Once the mainstay of the local economy, Palestinian agriculture in the rocky West Bank is in decline, with farmers struggling to protect both their livelihoods and their lands. Deprived of water, cut off from key markets and held back by hidebound traditions, farmers in Beit Ummar town can only look on with a […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Sep 16, 2012 | 22:51 AMMAN — Considered environmental and health hazards as well as eyesores, 300 abandoned vehicles scattered across the capital’s streets will soon be towed away as part of an ongoing effort to clean up the city, according to a Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) official. The cars, which […]

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New car purchase taxes put a dent in fuel-efficient small cars market Ynetnews Published: 09.16.12 The Treasury’s new tax reform introduced several articles that have to do with green taxes applied to the import and sales of cars, but some say they might deal a blow to the smaller cars market. The reform has set […]

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Environmental Protection Ministry to fund 26 new eco-friendly structures nationwide Billie Frenkel Published: 09.14.12, he Environmental Protection Ministry has approved a NIS 10 million (about $2.5 million) grant for 26 new buildings that are part of 19 green building projects, Ynet has learned. The grant, provided via a special government fund, was allocated as part […]

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by JT | Sep 16, 2012 AMMAN — The UNESCO Amman Office on Sunday launched a campaign in partnership with several supermarkets to combat the excessive use of plastic bags in the Kingdom. The aim of the campaign is to reduce the use of plastic bags by major supermarkets in Jordan and to empower consumers […]

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Community Based Problem Solving on Water Issues: CROSS-BORDER ״PRIORITY INITIATIVES ״ OF THE GOOD WATER NEIGHBORS PROJECT This publication describes the efforts of the Good Water Neighbors project team to identify environmental challenges and provide feasible solutions for “Priority Initiatives” in the participating communities. Project Briefs outline the current state of affairs with respect to […]

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Public Announcement August 30, 2012 Water and Environment Development Agency (WEDO)/ Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), together with consortium partners, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and Global Nature Fund (GNF) are pleased to announce the award for the development and publication of a NGO master plan for the Lower Jordan River Valley […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/13/2012 Plant in Be’er Tuviya will be able to provide electricity equivalent to the consumption needs of more than 6,000 homes. Local and national government officials in Be’er Tuviya on Monday evening inaugurated Israel’s largest biogas plant, which will produce usable electricity from dairy and chicken farm waste. In addition to providing […]

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Jordan’s king claims Israel put pressure on countries to disrupt cooperation with Amman AFP Published: 09.12.12 King Abdullah II on Wednesday accused Israel of disrupting Jordan’s nuclear program which is aimed at meeting its dire energy needs and powering water desalination plants, in an exclusive interview with AFP. “Strong opposition to Jordan’s nuclear energy program […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/13/2012 Environmental Protection Ministry granted NIS 10 million in support for green construction in public, private sectors. In an attempt to spread a green building trend across Israel, the Environmental Protection Ministry granted NIS 10 million worth of support for such construction in both the public and private sectors. The money has […]

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Environmental Protection Ministry releases ministries’ performance report for pilot program aiming to see government adopt eco-friendly operational practices Billie Frenkel Published: 09.11.12 The Green Government Project, recently ratified by the cabinet, has saved the government NIS 12.3 million ($3 million), a recent report by the Environmental Protection Ministry revealed. As part of the project’s pilot […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/11/2012 02:34 “This is a historic day – the Kishon begins its rehabilitation process,” Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan says Environmental Protection Minister Erdan at Kishon Photo: Courtesy Kishon River Authority The first bulldozers touched down on the shores of the Kishon River yesterday, where an extensive, three-year project to clean the […]

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RAMALLAH, September 11, 2012 (WAFA) – Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority Junya Matsuura, and Mayor of Birzeit Yousef Nasser signed a $114,958 grant contract of the project for ‘Rehabilitation and Extension of the Water Network in Birzeit City’, Tuesday said a press release by Representative Office of Japan in Ramallah. The project aims […]

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Rana Khaled Wed, 12/09/2012 Aiming at establishing clean and sustainable vegetable gardens, “A Thousand Gardens in Africa” initiative held its first training workshop in Egypt on Saturday, two years after the project’s launch. Organized by Nawaya, a social enterprise that is concerned with the future of farming communities in Egypt, the workshop attracted representatives of […]

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Israel to takes part in World Cleanup 2012 as some 250,000 JNF volunteers, across 120 cities, will participate in largest nationwide environmental project Ynetnews Published: 09.13.12 Israel will take part in the regional leg of the World Cleanup 2012 initiative, which scores of volunteers cleaning up en masse cities’ streets on Thursday. Israel has been […]

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Several PM coalition partners have conditioned their support for the reform on Netanyahu supporting their pet projects. By Zafrir Rinat | Sep.09, 2012 The government’s wide-ranging planning reform, well into the legislative process, could be shelved due to a new Interior Ministry plan that would cut red tape without overhauling the entire system. The new […]

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