Planned fence, whose construction is due to start imminently, will cut across the Gishron River, one of the region’s gems of nature. By Zafrir Rinat Environmental groups have asked the Defense Ministry to reconsider the construction of a new fence along the southern end of Israel’s border with Egypt, saying it would cause irreversible damage […]

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RAMALLAH, April 16, 2012 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Salam Fayyad inaugurated Monday stage one of the first water dam to be built in Palestine at a cost of over $1 million, according to a statement issued by Fayyad’s office. It said that on a visit to the village of Ouja and the Jordan Valley, Fayyad […]

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If a host of recent environmental initiatives succeed, more than half of our garbage will be recycled or used as an energy source within a decade. By Zafrir Rinat In much of Europe and some American states, being civilized enough not to leave your trash on the ground isn’t enough – you also can’t throw […]

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Truck drivers from various companies frequently dump their contents in open areas, endangering groundwater and polluting the environment. By Zafrir Rinat The company managing the Golan Heights’ sewage disposal has recently started monitoring its trucks with a GPS tracking device, to make sure they don’t dispose of the sewage illegally. Truck drivers from various companies […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 04/18/2012 23:18 New funding initiative by Ben Gurion University will provide for the growth of an olive tree fores. American Associates of Ben Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) have launched a new funding initiative that will provide for the growth of an olive tree forest at a university agricultural research farm. […]

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Israelis who have suffered a heart attack are far more at risk of a repeat attack if they live in an area with high levels of air pollution, new research has found. By Dan Even Israelis who have suffered a heart attack are far more at risk of a repeat attack if they live in […]

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Gorge damaged by construction of high-speed rail to Jerusalem, Israeli environmentalists say Construction of a railway bridge over the Yitla gorge reflects a sea change in planning, but environmentalists say the authorities could still have done more to protect this natural beauty spot in the Judean Hills. The bridge, currently being built for a new […]

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The local version of New York’s High Line is an important link in the ring of parks going up around the capital. By Noam Dvir An old train track on Manhattan’s West Side has been transformed into an urban-ecological paradise. Over the past decade, Jerusalem has been trying something similar with its Train Track Park, […]

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MMAN — Jordan and Qatar held further talks on a potential gas deal on Wednesday, as part of ongoing efforts to wean the Kingdom off of unstable Egyptian gas supplies. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Qutaiba Abu Qura and Qatari Ambassador Zayed Bin Saeed Rashid Al Khayarin discussed the possibility of the Gulf state […]

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AMMAN — The government plans to launch a campaign to raise awareness on energy difficulties and the need to rationalise consumption, Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh told officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday. Describing energy as the top challenge facing the Kingdom, Khasawneh mentioned the measures taken by the government to sharply reduce […]

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The state buys solar power at a premium, but also has a limited quota for solar power production – and that quota has been filled through 2020. By Itai Trilnick The Energy Ministry could lower its subsidy for solar power if it only were to let companies sell more of it to the national network, […]

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Tzemach Committee hopes plan would force partners to compete against each other, each selling its share of gas. By Itai Trilnick Government finds solution for gas monopoly: Split Leviathan, Tamar among partners Tzemach Committee hopes plan would force partners to compete against each other, each selling its share of gas. By Itai Trilnick In the […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Apr 11,2012 | 23:17 AMMAN — Three labs in the country will be internationally accredited for testing the quality of industrial wastewater by mid-2014, officials said on Wednesday. The labs will be located in the northern, central and eastern regions of the country under three memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed on […]

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The provision and denial of water in Palestine-Israel masks ulterior political motives that seek to replace one population with another. Writer: Mark Zeitoun It will be another meager crop this year for the Palestinian subsistence farmer in the Jordan River Valley. Casting an eye over dusty fields in Fesa’el, he contemplates whether he should continue […]

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A small startup on a moshav has come up with a way to immunize plants to make them genetically resistant to disease. The U.S. government found the technology so promising that it’s helping to fund pre-field trial tests. By Hagai Amit It took a full hour and a half for Morflora’s Dotan Peleg and Miri […]

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JENIN (Ma’an) — Twenty-five members of a single family were taken to hospital in the northern West Bank on Friday after a banned pesticide poisoned their food. The family prepared the food using herbs from their garden which they sprayed with the chemicals a week earlier, one of the relatives Basim Abbadi told Ma’an. They […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Apr 14,2012 AMMAN — Hiking trails and biking trips will be among eco-tourism activities offered to visitors at the Yarmouk Nature Reserve starting this year. A visitors centre with a café and a nature shop will also be established to promote products made by area residents from locally grown ingredients, Yarmouk […]

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Article by Thomas Friedman followed by extended blog commentary by Joe Romm By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Published: April 7, 2012 New York Times ISN’T it interesting that the Arab awakening began in Tunisia with a fruit vendor who was harassed by police for not having a permit to sell food — just at the moment […]

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The proposed changes include new conditions for water drilling, a severe increase in fines for lawbreakers and, for the first time, the requirement to prepare a long-term plan for water usage in Israel. By Zafrir Rinat The Energy and Water Resources Ministry has recently begun to promote changes in the Water Law based on two-year-old […]

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By Reuters CAIRO An explosion hit the Egyptian pipeline carrying gas to Israel and Jordan on Monday for 14th time since the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak began last year, security sources said. The blast took place in the northern Sinai at the entrance of the Mediterranean coastal town of al-Arish. Residents in the city […]

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