By Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish Director-General, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Member, AFED Board of Trustees Energy poverty is at the heart of OPEC Fund for International Development’s mission. Today, all OFID financial windows contribute to the alleviation of energy poverty. Indeed, OFID has developed a wide spectrum of financial tools ranging from grants to […]

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Study examines the quality of water Mekorot supplies, only 0.07 percent of the samples were found to contain disease-causing bacteria and parasites. By Zafrir Rinat and Adi Dovrat Meseritz Less than half a percent of drinking water supplied by the Mekorot water company exceeded allowable pollution limits in 2010, according to a report released on […]

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February 09, 2012 02:55 AM The Daily Star Press Conference For Minister Gebran Basil Monday, January 23, 2012. (DalatiNohra/ The Daily Star) Press Conference For Minister Gebran Basil Monday, January 23, 2012. (DalatiNohra/ The Daily Star) BEIRUT: The Lebanese government signed Wednesday a $200 million World Bank loan to finance a $370 million project aiming […]

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Environmental activists say the city is doing little when it comes to protecting its arboreal treasures. By Zafrir Rinat The Tel Aviv Municipality is marking Tu Bishvat, celebrated on Wednesday, with the publication of a book describing 29 trees in the city which are outstanding due to their size or age. However, environmental activists say […]

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Steven Viney The mismanagement of medical waste has been a problem in Egypt over the past two decades, and despite periodic efforts on behalf of the government and private bodies, it remains largely unresolved, says Ezzat Naiem, founder and director of the Spirit of Youth for Environmental Services NGO. Medical waste consists of products that […]

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A dump site on prime real estate in Yavneh is getting bigger and uglier as bickering officials block each other’s plans to remove it. By Zafrir Rinat A plan to construct a residential neighborhood in Yavneh on what is now a large dump site for building waste has been delayed as a result of disagreements […]

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Environmental Protection Ministry warns of extreme levels of pollution; dust is expected to remain in the area until Wednesday. By Zohar Blumenkrantz Two Israeli airports were shut down Tuesday due to extreme weather conditions across the country. Both Tel Aviv’s Sde Dov Airport as well as the Eilat Airport were shut down after Israel’s Environmental […]

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By REUTERS 02/04/2012 08:42 Reuters ABU DHABI/DUBAI – Talk of a Middle Eastern green energy boom is likely to prove no more than a mirage with little hope of the region saving clean technology companies from the shrinking project pools of Europe. Instead India, China and Latin America offer some hope for green energy companies […]

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by Taylor Luck | Feb 07,2012 | 22:55 A fire is seen on a gas pipeline in the town of Al Arish, North of Sinai on Sunday. The pipeline, which supplies gas to Jordan and Israel, has come under attack at least 12 times since Egyptian resident Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011 (Reuters photo) […]

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CAIRO (Reuters) — An explosion hit a gas pipeline running from Egypt to Israel on Sunday, witnesses and state television reported. The pipeline, which also supplies gas to Jordan, has come under attack at least 12 times since Egyptian resident Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011. The latest blast took place in the Massaeed area […]

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The Associated Press Jerusalem American and Israeli gas prospectors say they have discovered a large amount of offshore natural gas in Israeli waters near the Lebanese border. Delek Group Ltd. announced the discovery to Israel’s stock exchange Sunday. U.S.-based Noble Energy Inc. is partnering with Delek on the offshore drilling. The prospectors say based on […]

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February 04, 2012 01:52 AM By Osama Habib The Daily Star The Zahrani power plant was the last project the government completed in the energy sector. The Zahrani power plant was the last project the government completed in the energy sector. BEIRUT: Energy experts and officials are still at loggerheads over the best way to […]

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By Charlotte Alfred MASAFER YATTA (Ma’an) — There is an underground bunker in the South Hebron Hills, camouflaged by bracken and heavy sacks, where a tiny Palestinian village is sheltering a secret. Building quietly at night and securing backing from foreign governments, experts are working to share this secret with communities across the area. The […]

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Researchers find that during times of the day when the birds are normally eating or sleeping, their routines are disrupted by the presence of humans. By Zafrir Rinat Lake Agmon, which was created in the 1990s in the Hula Valley in the north, has become one of Israel’s favorite nature spots, but its popularity has […]

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Activists claim park is attempt to stop expansion of Isawiyah and A-Tur villages, authority says park needed to protect archeological sites; four Israelis, one Palestinian arrested trying to stop bulldozers. By Nir Hasson Bulldozers constructing the Mount Scopus National Park near Jerusalem destroyed on Monday what looked like hewn caves of possible archaeological value. No […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/06/2012 03:52 Tel Aviv reports drastic improvement in air over past decade. air pollution By Thinkstock Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) and the Coalition for Public Health submitted a petition to the High Court on Sunday morning to compel the government to confirm the national air program to prevent […]

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Ministry seeks to declare Tel Aviv a pollution-stricken area; city says recent data shows sharp decline in concentration of air pollutants. By Zafrir Rinat The Environmental Protection Ministry is planning to declare Tel Aviv a city with polluted air – but the Tel Aviv municipality released data Sunday showing that the city’s air quality has […]

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Zeitoun, Mark, Karim Eid-Sabbagh, Muna Dajani and Michael Talhami (2012) Hydro-political Baseline of the Upper Jordan River. Beirut, Association of the Friends of Ibrahim Abd el Al. http://www.uea.ac.uk/watersecurity/publications abstract: The Hydropolitical Baseline of the Upper Jordan River study examines the history and current politics of water use in the basin – specifically the Liddan, Banias […]

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At today’s Jordan River, the long history of Christian pilgrimage intersects with religious tourism. For many Christians, baptism in the Jordan provides the opportunity for a second baptism or a rebirth experience. Christian pilgrims cannot help but experience the Jordan as a border if they seek baptism near Jericho where Jordan and Israel have established […]

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Locals living near stream-filled “wadis”, or valleys, resist government advice to leave. Last Modified: 27 Jan 2012 17:12 The stream-lined valleys of Oman have supplied a vital water source to generations of families. Now, however, the government wants thousands of residents of villages near Wadi Dayqah, a massive watershed with a year-round stream, to leave […]

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