MIDEASTENVIRONET - The Middle East Environmental Network

Haaretz

August 5, 2007

By Tzafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondent

The cabinet on Sunday approved a second five-year term for Israel Nature and Parks Authority Chairman Eli Amitay, despite criticism of his management.

Extension of Amitay's tenure by five years came under broad opposition from environmental organizations as well as many scientists.

Various groups have chargde that during his first term, Amitay encouraged commercial development in nature reserves, ignored the opinions of professions and agreed to compromises that involved conceding protected lands.

Anonymous sources have also made claims of mismanagement at the INPA, allegations that Environment Minister Gideon Ezra (Kadima) rejected as unfounded during the meeting.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/890087.html

Posted by MEEF at 02:13 PM | Permalink

Los Angeles Times

August 4, 2007

SCIENCE FILE

The chemicals used in cleanup efforts harm reefs more than the oil itself does, researchers say.
By Alison Williams
Times Staff Writer

Chemicals frequently used to clean up oil spills in marine environments turn out to be more toxic to coral reefs than the oil itself, researchers said this week.

Previous research indicated serious effects of these oil dispersants on coral larvae. In this study, published in the current issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology, researchers in Israel used a new technique to test the effect on adult corals and found devastating results.

"When applied next to a reef, dispersants are hurting coral and maybe other creatures too," said lead researcher and marine biologist Shai Shafir of the National Institute of Oceanography in Haifa and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Oil dispersants work by breaking oil into very small drops that can be dissolved in water.

In the study, more than 10,000 tiny fragments of two common species of coral — each far smaller than a square centimeter — were harvested without harm to the mother coral and transported to a lab.

Shafir and his colleagues tested the toxicity of both oil and oil dispersants in different concentrations.

They found that oil itself had no effect, but the six dispersants at manufacturer-recommended concentrations killed all of the coral. With all but one dispersant, concentrations as weak as 25% of the recommended level also resulted in 100% mortality.

The team recommended using dispersants near coral reefs only in emergencies.

"Dispersant is a good method in open sea, far away from corals," Shafir said.

He added that other clean-up techniques could be used near reefs, such as collecting oil, burning it or sucking it out of the water.

alison.williams@latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-coral4aug04,1,6448138.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=3&cset=true

Posted by MEEF at 12:13 AM | Permalink

DEMOCRACY

By Karin Kloosterman August 03, 2007

Doctor Livingstone, Columbus, and Neil Armstrong had at least one thing in common: all three were keen on chartering new territory. Today it isn't so easy for adventurers to set their sails towards land never before encountered. Instead, the adventurous are turning to other realms of discovery - bridging the distance between cultures.

Some westerners pack their rucksacks and head off to Africa, South America or India and lend a hand in helping the sick, in building villages or by creating clean water supplies. Others, like the 16 Israelis recently recruited by Tevel B'tzedek (The Earth - In Justice) program, have their sights set on giving in a different framework: learning and teaching environmental and social justice in Nepal.

The world is a global village we now know, and for four months these backpackers took part in a program that helped them acquire the tools to help guide Nepalese through the challenges posed by globalization; program organizers hope that in return participants will transplant the basic ideas of sustainability - a catch phrase used by environmentalists today - back home in Israel.

Tom Noah, 24, studied law and cognitive sciences at the Hebrew University and heard about Tevel b'Tzedek from a friend, "The decision to participate was more emotional then rational," says Noah. "It simply sounded like the right thing to do."

Since being accepted to volunteer in Nepal, from where he writes, Noah has studied Nepalese history, Buddhism and the Nepalese language and culture. He comments: "I think that the attitude towards women here - especially towards widows is outrageous, and I wish I could do something in order to change it."

Tevel B'tzedek was founded by Micha Odenheimer, 48, a writer, journalist and rabbi. With a passion for social justice, he also previously founded the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews. Born and raised in Berkeley California, Odenheimer grew up in LA, studied at Yale and came to Israel 19 years ago.

"As a journalist I traveled to countries in Africa and Asia and became fascinated with the 'developing world' - its richness in human terms and what is happening to it in this time of globalization," wrote Odenheimer by email to ISRAEL21c from Nepal.

"As a rabbi, I have always known that identifying with the struggles of the poor is part of the core of the Jewish tradition, as is the desire for a world transformed," yet, laments Odenheimer, who has encountered many Israeli travelers on his journey, some "have lost touch with their traditional roots. Even as the economy of the world has grown more and more interconnected - just one small example, about 10,000 Nepalese are now in Israel caring for our sick and aged as foreign workers."

Odenheimer suddenly recognized that the Israeli post-army trip to Asia, Africa or South America could be a "tremendous educational opportunity."

"All these things got me to thinking, and the idea of doing an educational volunteer program for Israelis and other Jews to create a new Jewish language of social and environmental justice in the age of globalization was born."

Recruited from the region, and given free accommodation and necessities, the volunteers were stationed in Kathmandu from mid-April until late July.

So far, reports Odenheimer, the Nepalese have been encouraging. "Many people in Nepal remember Israel's training programs in agriculture and other fields, but recently have experienced Israelis only as youth tourists... the response of Nepali organizations and people when we introduce our plan to bring volunteers, has been one of great warmth, appreciation, and desire to partner with us."

One reason perhaps is that Israel and the Israeli mentality lies somewhere between the East and the West, suggests Odenheimer. "We have technical knowledge and skills like Westerners, but we are not exactly from the West. And Israeli society and the army experience has given Israelis... innovational and improvisational skills beyond that of most Westerners. I think we can be a bridge between West and East."

He goes on to explain that the Nepalese can also help Israelis. "Their social activists have been working on envisioning a new kind of world for a long time. They have gifts of wisdom and patience and experience that I think could also help transform Israeli society."

In the first weeks the volunteers underwent intensive Nepali language instruction; after this they studied issues of globalization and sustainable development taught by a representative from the Heschel Center, an Israeli environment education group.

The volunteers will also meet with Nepali personalities to help them understand the country's complex micro and macro issues. Hands-on volunteering will take place in village schools with urban street children, in orphanages, and with women's empowerment groups.

The group will learn about organic farming and will be encouraged to teach sustainable methods of living.

The idea, writes David Pearlman-Paran of Israel's Heschel Center, is to take advantage of the large numbers of young Israelis, "many with good intentions and minds who are open to learning and developing while there.

"The assumption is that on their return, when many of them are seeking new directions in which to develop themselves, they will choose to find ways to work for a sustainable Israel."

One of the volunteer teachers recently flown to Nepal is Eran Ben Yeminy, who leads the environment fellows program at the Heschel Center. "I will teach backpackers about the social and environmental issue of globalization," he tells ISRAEL21c. "The aim is not just to volunteer and help. It is more to open the minds of Israelis who go and travel to learn about problems of the world. Volunteering in an orphanage can help them fill in the bigger picture."

They will also work with farmers in Nepal, says Ben Yeminy, who reports that economic globalization has caused tremendous problems not only in Nepal but also Israel.

For example, says Ben Yeminy, the agriculture industry is becoming "bigger and bigger but smaller and smaller in terms of the stakeholders". Today, he says, you need a bigger scale to compete. The whole 'commons management' is changing. This is causing other problems in the environment and ecology.

"We have similar problems in Israel. That's why we bring Thai people to work over here and smaller businesses collapse," he explains.

Aya Navon, 26, studied psychology at the Hebrew University in Israel and recently helped Tevel b'Tzedek recruit participants. She was surprised to see a range of ages and backgrounds interested in volunteering. Those chosen include a nurse, a lawyer, a social worker, a photographer and a puppeteer.

"I was in the Israeli delegation to Sri Lanka after the Tsunami and it opened me to volunteering and international aid," says Navon.

As for her attraction to working with backpackers in Nepal, she says: "There is something humble in Tevel b'Tzedek - not to teach the backpackers how to do everything right in Nepal, but to learn from them how to build a full picture of our place in the world through Nepal."

With the first session of the pilot internship having ended successfully, the organizers are currently looking for new recruits in the 20 plus age range for the next session beginning in October. Those interested can email
Tevel B'tzedek.

http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enScript=PrintVersion.jsp&enDispWho=Articles^l1729

Posted by MEEF at 01:25 PM | Permalink

DEMOCRACY

By Karin Kloosterman August 03, 2007

Doctor Livingstone, Columbus, and Neil Armstrong had at least one thing in common: all three were keen on chartering new territory. Today it isn't so easy for adventurers to set their sails towards land never before encountered. Instead, the adventurous are turning to other realms of discovery - bridging the distance between cultures.

Some westerners pack their rucksacks and head off to Africa, South America or India and lend a hand in helping the sick, in building villages or by creating clean water supplies. Others, like the 16 Israelis recently recruited by Tevel B'tzedek (The Earth - In Justice) program, have their sights set on giving in a different framework: learning and teaching environmental and social justice in Nepal.

The world is a global village we now know, and for four months these backpackers took part in a program that helped them acquire the tools to help guide Nepalese through the challenges posed by globalization; program organizers hope that in return participants will transplant the basic ideas of sustainability - a catch phrase used by environmentalists today - back home in Israel.

Tom Noah, 24, studied law and cognitive sciences at the Hebrew University and heard about Tevel b'Tzedek from a friend, "The decision to participate was more emotional then rational," says Noah. "It simply sounded like the right thing to do."

Since being accepted to volunteer in Nepal, from where he writes, Noah has studied Nepalese history, Buddhism and the Nepalese language and culture. He comments: "I think that the attitude towards women here - especially towards widows is outrageous, and I wish I could do something in order to change it."

Tevel B'tzedek was founded by Micha Odenheimer, 48, a writer, journalist and rabbi. With a passion for social justice, he also previously founded the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews. Born and raised in Berkeley California, Odenheimer grew up in LA, studied at Yale and came to Israel 19 years ago.

"As a journalist I traveled to countries in Africa and Asia and became fascinated with the 'developing world' - its richness in human terms and what is happening to it in this time of globalization," wrote Odenheimer by email to ISRAEL21c from Nepal.

"As a rabbi, I have always known that identifying with the struggles of the poor is part of the core of the Jewish tradition, as is the desire for a world transformed," yet, laments Odenheimer, who has encountered many Israeli travelers on his journey, some "have lost touch with their traditional roots. Even as the economy of the world has grown more and more interconnected - just one small example, about 10,000 Nepalese are now in Israel caring for our sick and aged as foreign workers."

Odenheimer suddenly recognized that the Israeli post-army trip to Asia, Africa or South America could be a "tremendous educational opportunity."

"All these things got me to thinking, and the idea of doing an educational volunteer program for Israelis and other Jews to create a new Jewish language of social and environmental justice in the age of globalization was born."

Recruited from the region, and given free accommodation and necessities, the volunteers were stationed in Kathmandu from mid-April until late July.

So far, reports Odenheimer, the Nepalese have been encouraging. "Many people in Nepal remember Israel's training programs in agriculture and other fields, but recently have experienced Israelis only as youth tourists... the response of Nepali organizations and people when we introduce our plan to bring volunteers, has been one of great warmth, appreciation, and desire to partner with us."

One reason perhaps is that Israel and the Israeli mentality lies somewhere between the East and the West, suggests Odenheimer. "We have technical knowledge and skills like Westerners, but we are not exactly from the West. And Israeli society and the army experience has given Israelis... innovational and improvisational skills beyond that of most Westerners. I think we can be a bridge between West and East."

He goes on to explain that the Nepalese can also help Israelis. "Their social activists have been working on envisioning a new kind of world for a long time. They have gifts of wisdom and patience and experience that I think could also help transform Israeli society."

In the first weeks the volunteers underwent intensive Nepali language instruction; after this they studied issues of globalization and sustainable development taught by a representative from the Heschel Center, an Israeli environment education group.

The volunteers will also meet with Nepali personalities to help them understand the country's complex micro and macro issues. Hands-on volunteering will take place in village schools with urban street children, in orphanages, and with women's empowerment groups.

The group will learn about organic farming and will be encouraged to teach sustainable methods of living.

The idea, writes David Pearlman-Paran of Israel's Heschel Center, is to take advantage of the large numbers of young Israelis, "many with good intentions and minds who are open to learning and developing while there.

"The assumption is that on their return, when many of them are seeking new directions in which to develop themselves, they will choose to find ways to work for a sustainable Israel."

One of the volunteer teachers recently flown to Nepal is Eran Ben Yeminy, who leads the environment fellows program at the Heschel Center. "I will teach backpackers about the social and environmental issue of globalization," he tells ISRAEL21c. "The aim is not just to volunteer and help. It is more to open the minds of Israelis who go and travel to learn about problems of the world. Volunteering in an orphanage can help them fill in the bigger picture."

They will also work with farmers in Nepal, says Ben Yeminy, who reports that economic globalization has caused tremendous problems not only in Nepal but also Israel.

For example, says Ben Yeminy, the agriculture industry is becoming "bigger and bigger but smaller and smaller in terms of the stakeholders". Today, he says, you need a bigger scale to compete. The whole 'commons management' is changing. This is causing other problems in the environment and ecology.

"We have similar problems in Israel. That's why we bring Thai people to work over here and smaller businesses collapse," he explains.

Aya Navon, 26, studied psychology at the Hebrew University in Israel and recently helped Tevel b'Tzedek recruit participants. She was surprised to see a range of ages and backgrounds interested in volunteering. Those chosen include a nurse, a lawyer, a social worker, a photographer and a puppeteer.

"I was in the Israeli delegation to Sri Lanka after the Tsunami and it opened me to volunteering and international aid," says Navon.

As for her attraction to working with backpackers in Nepal, she says: "There is something humble in Tevel b'Tzedek - not to teach the backpackers how to do everything right in Nepal, but to learn from them how to build a full picture of our place in the world through Nepal."

With the first session of the pilot internship having ended successfully, the organizers are currently looking for new recruits in the 20 plus age range for the next session beginning in October. Those interested can email
Tevel B'tzedek.

http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enScript=PrintVersion.jsp&enDispWho=Articles^l1729

Posted by MEEF at 01:25 PM | Permalink

The Jerusalem Post

Aug. 5, 2007

Shmuley Boteach

Every year my family and I take a summer RV trip out into nature. This year we are in Alaska, where I am filming a family TV show. The beauties of this wondrous land are difficult to describe but are perhaps best captured in the words of a secular Jewish lawyer friend of mine who said that seeing Alaska was like seeing the face of God.

From the vast barrenness of the frozen, berry-covered tundra to the soaring 20,000-foot-plus peak of Mt. McKinley, to the more than three million rivers and lakes in this fertile land, to the icy blue of thousands of glaciers, the beauty of Alaska is truly awe-inspiring.

But it doesn't take a trip to Alaska to find natural beauty. It can be found in your local community park, in the woods just outside your town, in the desert that meets your city limits.

Something happens to us when we go out into nature. A truer, more authentic self emerges. In the stillness of a freshwater lake we see our innermost reflection. In the untouched dampness of a pristine rainforest our gentlest nature is manifest.

Everything that humans create is designed to elicit some kind of emotional response, and in that sense it is somewhat manipulative. Upon visiting Rome, we are dumbstruck by the glories of the Coliseum and the Pantheon, just as the Caesars intended. They desired to impress upon the visitor the might and glory of Rome. Upon traveling to Disneyworld we marvel at the creativity and ingenuity, all of which is designed to have us open our wallets to take part of the Magic Kingdom home with us.

But nature is not designed. It is not manufactured. It just is. As such, it allows us just to be. Nature is not contrived, and it therefore elicits not artifice but genuineness, not reflexiveness but spontaneity, not reactiveness but realness.

Which explains why it is only in nature that we can truly relax.

I DETECT in modern men and women a loss of appreciation of nature, which in turn signals a loss of human authenticity. Children, especially today, would much rather spend a Sunday at the multiplex than at a park, at the mall rather than on a hike.

A month ago Time magazine reported that the crowds of American teens at the mall in summertime had hit such alarming proportions that mall operators were organizing to give them a curfew or only allow them in under adult supervision. "Some 46 of the 1,200 enclosed malls in the US have adopted parental-escort policies, and others are likely to join them soon, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers," said the report.

Perhaps the most telling example of our lost appreciation of nature is how the environmental movement is more about frightening than inspiring. Environmentalism is not based on motivating people to appreciate nature but on scaring people about the consequences of a superheated earth.

The essential message is that if you don't learn to appreciate the environment soon - stop cutting down the trees and stop all those carbon emissions - we are all toast as the earth becomes one giant barbecue.

Just the other day Al Gore said that the humankind was in a race for its very existence. Now I love nature as much as the next guy. But does it really take the specter of an environmental holocaust to motivate people to appreciate the wonders that surround them?

THERE ARE serious consequences for a world that does not sufficiently appreciate nature, and they come primarily in how we are all less natural as a result. We see this in nearly every stage of life.

As teenagers, our individuality and uniqueness is slowly compromised as we give way to conformity and peer pressure. As singles we date with artifice rather than genuineness and have cheap sex as a substitute for real emotional intimacy. At work we do our best to fit into a corporate structure and accept the dehumanizing process of becoming machines born to produce.

Even in our marriages we slowly lose our individuality as responsibility and routine replace romance. Somewhere, underneath all that pretense is a real person yearning to be free. Nature can provide that freedom - if only families would embrace its pleasures.

Sadly, in the Jewish community especially there seems to be a real aversion to being out in nature. I have been taken aback by the number of my religious Jewish friends who think that my wife and I are barmy for taking our kids on long camping trips. They maintain, only half jokingly, that Jewish vacations are about hotels with lobbies and catered menus.

Indeed, with rare exceptions, like the Orthodox Jewish family we bumped into here in Alaska who are also moving around in an RV, we have almost never met an observant Jewish family that goes camping on a regular basis.

AND IT'S not true that you can't be observant while you camp. An RV provides us with a travelling kosher kitchen. My children and I study the Torah portion of the week almost daily. And yes, it would be great if we had a minyan (prayer quorum) follow us around, but we are able to check into local Jewish communities to be part of their synagogue services when and if available. (Two years ago I tried to set up a group called "Wandering Jews" who camp together and bring a Torah scroll so that we could have a minyan. Sadly, it failed.)

What is not acceptable is this belief that being Orthodox is so limiting that it essentially means living in a stifling urban environment, in decaying neighborhoods without fresh air. My family and I will be Israel for Sukkot, God willing, and I will make a point, as I have on previous occasions, of visiting the beautiful and heroic communities of Judea and Samaria, just as I used to love visiting Gush Katif, in order to witness the wonders and beauties of the natural landscape within which so many Orthodox Jewish communities flourish.

When I was a young yeshiva student they told us that the Jewish mystical movement, spearheaded by the master Kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria, was based in Safed because the mystics believed that being surrounded by the beauties of nature was itself an act of communing with God.

It is something we Orthodox Jews ought to remember if we are to be not only religious, but also deeply spiritual.

The writer's latest book is Shalom in the Home. His show being filmed in Alaska is called Shalom on the Road.

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186066387092&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Posted by MEEF at 09:07 PM | Permalink

Jerusalem Post

Aug. 2, 2007

meredith price

Every night before Ron Shani's father dropped him off at the children's house in
Kibbutz Amiad, he would ask whether he wanted to hear a story about an inventive
patent or world news. "It didn't matter which one I picked, he always told me a
story about water," says Shani, 39, an engineer. "This is where my knowledge of
water originated. I grew up learning about water filters and solutions from my
father."

Shani's father was one of the founding members of Amiad, an international
company that today has factories around the world, and the first to build a
primitive water filtration system. "My father is an engineer and an inventor.
He was always making things, and after he built the first filter for Kibbutz
Amiad, he was invited to build more for other kibbutzim around the country."

After completing his army service, Shani spent three years in the US traveling
and doing odd jobs, including giving guided tours to other Israelis. In 1996,
he returned and started working in the hi-tech industry, where he stayed for 10
years as a marketing consultant and business developer.

After the hi-tech bubble burst in 2000, Shani started looking for the next big
thing. "In the process of trying to decide what I wanted to do next, I
understood that a humanitarian water solution was lacking in the industry, and
I knew that the World Health Organization was starting to invest financially in
the global problem," he says. "I decided to see if I could design a better
product than what exists on the market today." After months of research, Shani
realized that most personal water purification systems were extremely expensive
and difficult to use.

With these problems in mind, he created the prototype for the Sulis Personal
Purification System. The name originates with the Celtic goddess Sulis, known
for her healing powers and the protector of the hot springs in Aquae Sulis, the
site of modern Bath in England.

According to Yossi Sandak, the CEO of Watersheer (the company Shani founded in
2005 to produce water filtration systems), 1.6 billion people in the world
today don't have access to clean drinking water and 2.5 million children under
the age of five die every year due to polluted water.

"In many African and Indian villages, especially around the Ganges River, the
adults become immune to the bacteria in their water sources, but many of the
children die from drinking the same water," Sandak says.

SMALL ENOUGH to fit in the palm of your hand, the Sulis filter weighs 10 grams,
fits easily onto the top of almost any water bottle and filters three types of
pollutants: biological (bacteria, viruses, parasites), organic (silt, algae,
dirt) and chemical (detergents, pesticides).

"The innovative thing about Sulis is that it's small, reusable and extremely
inexpensive," says Shani. "Our target population is the humanitarian sector,
such as the WHO, so we had to make something affordable."

But the Sulis filter also has implications for international travelers, military
personnel and natural disaster victims, like those stranded without water in
Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina created terrible pollution.

"We adhered to the 'KIS' standard of design, which means keep it simple," Sandak
says. "It's easy to make something expensive and complicated, but making
something that even a child or an elderly person can use that works well was
very challenging."

To use the Sulis filter, a chlorine capsule that kills bacteria is first dropped
into the bottled water. After six minutes, the filter can be affixed to the top
of the bottle. A small net traps the bacteria that chlorine cannot kill, such
as giardia. Then, a carbon and silver ion filter traps any remaining chemical
pollutants and gives the water a better taste.

To meet larger-scale needs in densely populated areas during times of crisis,
Shani designed a second product called the Sokol, which can purify 100 liters
of water in 30 minutes. In this process, the pollutants are separated using a
special chlorine tablet that enlarges some of the pollutants, making them
heavier, forcing them to the bottom of the tank. The lighter pollutants
naturally float to the top, and the middle section of the water is then removed
and filtered with the Sulis.

"One of the other challenges with these filtration systems is that you never
know the source of the water, so it has to meet high standards of purity,"
Shani says. "At around $24 for a Sulis that cleans 1,000 liters of water, ours
is by far the least expensive and the most affordable one for humanitarian
aid."

In November, at the annual Water Technologies and Environmental Control
conference, Watersheer will officially begin selling the Sulis filtration
system to the public and humanitarian organizations. Joined by dozens of other
innovative Israeli companies that are providing better solutions for wastewater
management, irrigation, and desalination, Watersheer is hoping to stand out with
Sulis.

"We designed Sulis to meet the growing needs for clean water around the world,"
says Shani. "I hope that with Sulis, places like Shanghai will no longer suffer
from the black market in mineral water that is charging exorbitant prices,
something like $6 for a liter of clean water. Everyone should have access to
clean drinking water, and our product is going to save lives by providing it."

www.watersheer.com

Posted by MEEF at 08:44 PM | Permalink

Haaretz,

August 4, 2007

By The Associated Press

Israel is reviving plans for a nuclear power plant in the Negev Desert, Army Radio quoted Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) as saying on Friday.

Ben-Eliezer said he has the support of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and that the Prime Minister's Office and the Infrastructure Ministry have formed a joint team to look into the matter.

David Baker, an official in Olmert's office, declined comment.

Ben-Eliezer spoke Friday to a gathering of engineers in the town of Herzliya, according to Army Radio.

"The government of Israel is to make a historic decision concerning the building of a nuclear power plant... in the Negev," Ben-Eliezer was quoted as saying.

He said the project would be presented to the government for approval in coming months.

If approved, the power plant would take about eight years to complete, the radio said.

The construction of a nuclear power plant could draw renewed attention to what is widely believed to be Israel's nuclear weapons program. Following a policy that it calls nuclear ambiguity, Israel has never acknowledged or denied having a nuclear weapons program.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/889647.html

Posted by MEEF at 08:39 PM | Permalink

Haaretz

August 5, 2007

By Tzafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondent

The cabinet on Sunday approved a second five-year term for Israel Nature and Parks Authority Chairman Eli Amitay, despite criticism of his management.

Extension of Amitay's tenure by five years came under broad opposition from environmental organizations as well as many scientists.

Various groups have chargde that during his first term, Amitay encouraged commercial development in nature reserves, ignored the opinions of professions and agreed to compromises that involved conceding protected lands.

Anonymous sources have also made claims of mismanagement at the INPA, allegations that Environment Minister Gideon Ezra (Kadima) rejected as unfounded during the meeting.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/890087.html

Posted by MEEF at 08:35 PM | Permalink

The Jerusalem Post

Aug. 1, 2007

Judy Siegel-Itzkovich

A group of Israeli bee experts has gone to the US to study the reasons for the mysterious reduction in that country's bee population, which threaten to affect Israeli bees as well.

Yoram Paz, director of an Emek Hefer beehive company, said there were already worrying signs that the problem had begun to reduce honey and fruit production here.

A drop of between 70 percent and 90% in the bee population has been reported in parts of the US, Brazil, Central America, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Portugal in the past few years.

In Israel, too, there has been a decline in honey production, although it is not as severe as abroad.

Bees are also needed for pollination of avocado, almond, cherry, apricot, plum, apple, pear and mango trees; without bees to transfer pollen from one flower to another, the production of fruit would be severely hampered, Paz said.

Experts have already given an official name to the phenomenon, in which whole colonies of bees have disappeared - "Colony Collapse Disorder" - but there is no agreement on exactly what factors cause it. Among the theories are that electromagnetic radiation from cellphone systems, global warming, unknown viruses or changes in the bees' diet have done them in.

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185893693043&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Posted by MEEF at 08:34 PM | Permalink

Jordan Times

By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN -- The Ministry of Environment has instructed 16 farms in the Ghor to
relocate to areas removed from residential neighbourhoods after repeated
complaints of foul odours being emitted from their premises, a ministry
official said on Saturday.

"Owners of these farms, which produce dairy products, leave animal waste lying
around, instead of transporting it to locations far away from inhabited areas,"
Ministry of Environment Spokesperson Isa Shboul told The Jordan Times yesterday.

With the expansion of urban construction, the farms, located in Dleil, 16
kilometres from Zarqa, are close to residential areas, Shboul added.

These farm owners should have removed the animal waste or sold it to farmers for
agricultural purposes, the official explained.

The farms were given a month to relocate, Shboul said, adding that their owners
were cooperative and showed willingness to respond to the ministry's
directives.

The ministry has also issued 11 tickets to other farms in the region for
breaching environmental regulations, including an absence of health safety
standards.

The farms were given a month to rectify the situation and the ministry's field
inspection teams will follow up on the situations and issue warnings if they do
not comply.

Last month, the ministry shut down a fertiliser plant in South Shuneh after it
failed to secure the minimum environmental, health and public safety standards.

The ministry's technical teams are implementing an integrated programme to
intensify monitoring on industries and stone factories, Shboul said.

The ministry is also conducting field inspection campaigns across the country,
in cooperation with the Environmental Police Department (EPD), to ensure that
all facilities, including industries and quarries, are abiding by environmental
regulations.

These measures are part of the ministry's procedures seeking to curb
environmental infringements, the spokesperson said, urging the public to
contact the ministry or the EPD to report instances of pollution or violations
of public health safety.

Posted by MEEF at 08:31 PM | Permalink

Jordan Times

August 3, 2007

By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN -- The Cabinet last week approved awarding a tender for the sale of carbon
dioxide generated from the Rihab electricity generating plant in Mafraq to a US
company.

The project is expected to generate almost JD11 million annually over the next
five years, with the price per tonne at JD8.6 euros.

"Selling the carbon dioxide is part of the ministry's clean development
mechanism seeking to protect the environment while funding the environment
sector to undertake future environment-friendly projects," Minister of
Environment Khalid Irani said.

Following Jordan's signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 and the conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the
Kingdom benefited from the protocol's clean development mechanism, which allows
industrialised countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment to invest in
emission-reducing projects in developing countries.

The UNFCCC seeks to come up with plans to reduce global warming and to cope with
whatever temperature increases are inevitable.

Previous projects targeting reduction of greenhouse gases include the Greater
Amman Municipality's biogas project at the Ruseifeh landfill, the Aqaba Thermal
Station and the Samra Electric Power Generating Company, which generates up to
24 per cent of the country's electricity needs by using heat produced from
electricity-generation machines.

Irani said the national committee for the clean development mechanism is drawing
up plans for future projects in the same field.

He added that a total of 15 per cent of revenues generated from sales of carbon
dioxide will be allocated to the environment protection fund, which will help
the ministry set up environment-friendly projects and improve the country's
environment.

Posted by MEEF at 07:58 PM | Permalink

Jordan Times

Aug. 5, 2007

Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN -- The emergence of 11 diarrhoea cases over the weekend in the Rihab District of Mafraq does not constitute another water pollution crisis in the governorate, a district official said on Saturday.

Only five cases were registered at the Rihab Health Centre yesterday from the district's 33 villages, which have a total population of 25,000 inhabitants, Rihab District Governor Adnan Otoom told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

The new cases did not have the same symptoms as citizens of the nearby Mansheyet Bani Hassan, Mafraq acting Health Director Mohammad Shawaqfeh stressed, adding that unclean water provided by some tankers could be the culprit.

"All cases registered at the Rihab Health Centre had diarrhoea, but no high fever," Shawaqfeh said.

More than 1,000 cases of diarrhoea and high fever, which were registered in the village and surrounding areas last month, were attributed to a nonfatal parasite.

According to the official, health teams responded immediately after the emergence of these cases by testing samples from the town's water sources, which were found to be uncontaminated.

"As a precautionary measure, we provided Rihab Health Centre with an additional laboratory technician to work the nightshift," he added.

Water authorities on Saturday made an exception in the water distribution schedule and resumed pumping water to the area, which was suffering from an acute shortage, according to Otoom.

Over the past three days, a total of 35 water tankers from the Jordan Armed Forces, in addition to five sent by Jordan Telecom Group, provided residents of 12 villages in the province with their water needs, he said.

"Prices per water tanker topped JD50 before the Army started providing citizens with water, the reason why some citizens started looking for other sources such as blue tankers," Rihab Health Centre Director Amer Ayasrah told The Jordan Times.

Water authorities had suspended pumping water to the area since the water pollution crisis on July 15, which compelled citizens to seek other sources, he said.

He added that it was possible that the new cases were caused by unclean water supplied for agriculture and construction purposes.

Meanwhile, health teams yesterday started distributing leaflets containing instructions on water use, Ayasrah said.

"We also started holding seminars in order to raise awareness among citizens, besides explaining the difference between green and blue water tankers," he added.

Green tankers are entitled to carry potable water to citizens while blue tankers supply water for agriculture and construction purposes.

Ministry of Water and Irrigation Spokesperson Adnan Zu'bi said water authorities provide potable water tankers with documents stating the time and date they were filled, and urged citizens to ask for them.

He added that water distribution to all areas in the northeastern parts of the Kingdom would be back to normal by the end of the week.

Posted by MEEF at 07:46 PM | Permalink

The Daily Star

August 04, 2007

Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: USAID inaugurated five water-treatments plants in Haytoura, Ayshiyyeh, Ghobbatieh/Benwati, Wadi Jezzine and Snayyah in Jezzine District, South Lebanon, according to a USAID statement. The inauguration was attended by mission director Raouf Youssef, Haytoura Mayor Elias Rashed, Ayshiyyeh Municipality vice president Youssef Fares, Wadi Jezzine Mayor Robert Abu Suleiman, Benwati Mayor Mounir Rbeih and Snayyah Mayor Joseph Nawfal

The plants, the result of close cooperation between USAID and the communities, serve almost 6,000 people in the area.

With funds from the American people, USAID provided over $500,000 to build the plants and train municipal staff to operate and maintain them.

The municipalities supplied the land and installed many of the sewage networks. The YMCA, a nonprofit organization, worked with USAID to carry out the projects.

The plants are among nine being built to bring clean water and sewage systems to 27,000 people in South Lebanon and the Bekaa.

The statement said that in partnership with the YMCA and the municipalities, USAID is working to protect the health and environment of those living in rural communities. - The Daily Star

Copyright (c) 2007 The Daily Star

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_ID=1&article_ID=84320&categ_id=3#

Posted by MEEF at 07:13 PM | Permalink

6 August 2007

MEDIA RELEASE

WORLD BANK TO HOLD FIRST SET OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ON "RED DEAD" CANAL PROJECT

On Sunday, August 12th, the World Bank will hold its first public hearing on the
Terms of Reference of the Feasibility Study for the "Red Dead Conduit" project.

The hearing will take place at the Neve Ilan Hotel outside Jerusalem from 9:30
a.m.

According to the World Bank only one solution is "on the table" for saving the
Dead Sea, namely the "Red Dead Canal" project that would bring water from the
Red Sea, via the Arava Valley to the Dead Sea. The project concept is highly
controversial because of the risk it poses to three unique ecosystems; the Gulf
of Aqaba/Eilat, the Arava Valley and the Dead Sea itself.

Friends of the Earth Middle East has been advocating the need to study other
alternatives for 'Saving the Dead Sea'; especially the natural alternative of
bringing water back to the Jordan River, a request so far refused by the World
Bank and our governments.

"Moments before the ToR for the feasibility study will be closed, the public has
a last chance to make its voice heard and influence the flawed World Bank study"
says Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director of Friends of the Earth Middle East. "Our
concern is that despite our efforts the Bank is simply refusing to listen,
holding the hearing simply to mark it off their check list."

FoEME will be bringing residents from the affected areas, Dead Sea, Arava and
Jordan River Valley to let the World Bank hear that the public demands that the
building of a project of this size requires the most comprehensive of studies -
INCLUDING the Jordan River alternative.

FoEME is organizing transportation to the hearing for residents which
journalists could join:

From the Jerusalem area: for details, please call Gundi Shachal at 052-2887184
From the Tel Aviv area: for details, please call Chava Haber at 054-7932459
(Please identify yourselves as media)

Posted by MEEF at 06:56 PM | Permalink

Haaretz

By Michael J. Caduto

News from the Middle East usually describes conflicts and their root causes in
politics, religious fundamentalism and the struggle between Israelis and
Palestinians for a homeland. Threats to peace and security are indeed a
backdrop for daily existence, but that is only part of the story.

In April the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA)
invited me to experience the area's environmental problems - the first step of
a collaboration coordinated by the Quebec-Labrador Foundation, an NGO based in
Ipswich, Mass. The program brings together conservationists from Israel,
Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt, who will use traditional folk stories to
teach about the environment.

After I met with the Palestine Wildlife Society in the West Bank, INNPPA staff
led a tour of Israeli sites that embody key environmental issues. I discovered
a magnificent landscape rich in biological diversity, because it lies at the
convergence of Europe, Asia and Africa. From snow-capped mountains and vast
deserts to expansive lakes and marine ecosystems, few places on Earth possess
this startling array of habitats and species in such a small geographic area.

Nature's grandeur is juxtaposed with vivid reminders of human impacts. En route
to the Gamla Nature Reserve in the Golan Heights, we drove through grassy
swells denuded of forests centuries ago. Pastoral hills were fenced and marked
with signs warning of mine fields never cleared, a vestige of past wars.

Along the dizzying cliffs in Gamla, griffon vultures rose on thermals so close
we could almost touch these ancient birds, whose wingspan can exceed 2.5
meters. This, the largest breeding colony of vultures in Israel, is in rapid
decline. Many eggs are infertile and numerous hatchlings die due to a
calcium-poor diet and lack of food (dead animal carcasses) in the wild. Adult
vultures can't obtain enough calcium from small pieces of dead animal bones, so
they feed instead on the metal fragments of old ammunition and shrapnel that
litter the countryside. Vultures die by electrocution when they perch on power
lines, by purposeful shootings and by inadvertent killings when birds feed on
the remains of cattle poisoned by farmers locked in a territorial dispute.
Later, at the Hai-Bar Carmel Nature Reserve, a lanky, bearded naturalist named
Yigal Miller proudly told of how he had established the first successful
captive breeding and release program for griffon vultures.

We drove south past Bedouin riding donkeys while grazing sheep and camels at the
edge of the Judean Desert. Well below sea level, we stood in the abandoned
dining room of the old Jordan Hotel, framed by mortar-riddled walls, and looked
across a vast plain that dipped toward the distant shoreline of the Dead Sea.
Before the hotel was abandoned during the 1967 war, waves still lapped at the
feet of guests who stood on this veranda. Dead Sea water is now being
drastically drawn down and desalinated to quench the thirst of this densely
populated region.

As peace efforts continue, the viability of ecosystems and resources also stands
at a crossroads that will determine environmental health and the survival of
many species. The demise of the Dead Sea would devastate Jordanians, Israelis
and Palestinians alike. Invasive plants out-compete native species that provide
nest sites for birds plus food and shelter for animals. Many plants and animals
are collected, hunted and poached toward extinction. On most days in the hills
of the Carmel coast, polluted air hangs so thick it is impossible to see the
Mediterranean Sea a few kilometers away. Water pollution, depletion of precious
water supplies and degradation of habitat for migratory birds are serious
problems.

In the Middle East, environmental issues pose the greatest long-term threat to
the health and well-being of humans and the natural world. Private
organizations and governmental agencies are conducting environmental research
and conservation programs. They teach of the necessity for changes in policy
and practice to preserve habitats and natural resources that meet the survival
needs of all. The environment is the one tie that irrevocably binds the peoples
of the Middle East, regardless of differences in politics, faith or culture.

The writer presents programs on the environment (www.p-e-a-c-e.net) and is
author of "Everyday Herbs in Spiritual Life: A Guide to Many Practices" and
"Abraham's Bind and other Bible Tales of Trickery, Folly, Mercy and Love."

Posted by MEEF at 06:54 PM | Permalink

Haaretz

August 2, 2007

By Nadav Shragai

Avri Ran is a leader of the Hilltop Youth movement from the West Bank settlement of Itamar. He has been acquitted of charges of assaulting an Israeli Arab and a left-wing activist, and residents of the Arab village of Yanun accuse him of harassing villagers. But Ran's right-wing activities are not his only claim to fame: He is also one of the largest suppliers of organic eggs in the country.

Ran is one of 10 to 15 organic farmers growing produce in the West Bank, but for all the controversy surrounding the settlements and outposts, the organic farming industry pays scant attention to where the stuff is grown.

Ornit Raz, head of Israel's organic farmers association, said the group "doesn't deal with politics," such as where the organic farms are located. "We examine the produce that comes from everywhere, according to its quality and our professional standards."

To demonstrate the separation between the political and the agricultural, Raz mentions Ran, who aside from being responsible for much of the growth of the organic egg industry, also uses his thousands of dunams to grow wheat used to make organic flour, and produces cheeses and yogurts made from goat's milk.

"He is an excellent farmer, straight and reliable," said Raz. "We as an association look at him from a professional and ethical standpoint, not a political one."

7,000 eggs a day

Other organic farmers in the West Bank include Yona Tzoref of the Shiloh settlement and Aharon Gayan of Itamar. Tzoref, 60, is proud that the 8,000 free-range chickens he raises - which are fed a mixture of organic grains comprised of wheat, corn and 15 percent minerals - lay about 7,000 eggs a day.

Gayan, an evacuee from the Gush Katif settlement of Kfar Darom, said Itamar, the center of organic farming in Samaria, has an advantage over other parts of the country.

"At a height of between 650 and 900 meters above sea level, it's cooler and the greenhouses aren't as hot, so the fruit ripens even in the late summer months, which are hotter, and there's still an abundance of produce in the fall," he said. Gayan said he took out a NIS 200,000 loan to set up greenhouses on three dunams and grow dozens of tons of beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, zucchini and eggplant on another five dunams of land.

But although some of the organic farmers are succeeding, the industry is not flourishing in the West Bank, said Shivi Drori, the coordinator of the Agriculture Ministry's agricultural council for the central and northern West Bank.

Drori, who lives in the Givat Harel outpost near Shiloh and owns a non-organic winery, said organic farming in the West Bank is on the decline, especially for deciduous fruit and olive orchards.

Ariel Ben Sheetrit's difficulties in running his organic vineyard are indicative of some of the problems other organic farmers face.

The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in Sheetrit's organic orchard on the outskirts of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar are not looking good. On many mornings, clouds glide over to the small valley at the edge of his house, and the accompanying rain brings with it a fungus that afflicts the leaves of the grapevines he planted seven years ago.

Ben Sheetrit puts a lot of effort into his 35-dunam vineyard in his attempts to offset the various threats, while adhering to the main principle of organic farming: not using chemicals. He isn't always successful.

As an alternative to spraying chemical compounds on his crops, Ben Sheetrit weeds the vineyard himself, getting rid of the couch grass weed growing near the grapevine stems by covering them with black plastic sheets.

Staunch ideologues

With all the extra work involved, it is perhaps no surprise that, according to Drori, "quite a few farmers who tried to use organic growth methods gave up.

"It's difficult, expensive and less economical," he said. "You have to be a staunch ideologue - not only regarding the Land of Israel, but also regarding this growth method and lifestyle - to stick with it, and not everyone can do it."

Although Ariel Ben Sheetrit's task is made more difficult by the strictures imposed by organic farming, he appears to bear the traits of the ideologue that Drori recommends.

Next to his vineyard, Ben Sheetrit has built one of the only wineries in Israel that produces organic wine. One type of wine is called Shoham, "after the stone of Joseph the Righteous in the [High Priest's] breastplate," he explained. Another is called Pura, after one of the words for a winepress used in Isaiah. Ben Sheetrit, a former student at the Kever Yosef [Joseph's Tomb] yeshiva, wrote the text used on the wine labels himself.

"The grapevines put down roots with us in the earth of the good land, and breathe its air until the roots strike the heart of the land," he wrote. "The wine production process, from the planting of the grapevines to the sealing of the bottles, uses Hebrew labor by the young people of Israel, to give pleasure to the Creator, may His name be blessed."

Ben Sheetrit is also thankful for nature's bounty, noting that the vineyard doesn't need much watering because nature "gave us almost everything, and the earth has everything the grapevine needs."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/888412.html

Posted by MEEF at 06:11 PM | Permalink

Jordan Times

July 30, 2007

By Dalya Dajani

AMMAN --The Ayla Oasis Development Company is on track with its plans for the
mega-lagoon resort project in Aqaba, with evaluation underway of seven
international contractors who have submitted their tenders for the project.

Managing director of the company, Sahl Dudin, said the company is currently
evaluating these tenders with negotiations expected to begin by the end of next
month.

"Seven international contractors have bid for the project and we plan to begin
negotiations with three or four of them by the end of next month," Dudin said.

According to the company official, the winning tenders will be awarded in early
September.

The $1.4 billion Ayla Oasis, slated for development on the northern shores of
Aqaba in the third quarter of this year, is one of the largest investment
projects under way to boost the tourism climate at the Red Sea resort.

The resort, which is being built on 430 hectares of land, constitutes a series
of man-made lagoons and water canals with several luxury hotels, residential
communities and a town centre with a marina, retail units, cafes, an 18-hole
golf course and signature nine-hole golf academy.

Dudin said the first phase of the Ayla Oasis project, which includes
infrastructure works, artificial lakes, water pumping stations and service
networks, is estimated at around $200 million.

He added that the first phase will also see the development of two hotels, 500
residential units, 50,000 commercial and retail shops, lagoons and the golf
course.

Posted by MEEF at 06:05 PM | Permalink

Jordan Times

July 30, 2007

King urges speedy work on "King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud Residential
City" designed to ensure citizens reasonably-priced housing

By Mohammad Ghazal

AMMAN -- King Abdullah on Monday issued instructions to the government to
accelerate efforts to build the King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Residential City In Zarqa.

Works in the residential project, announced in June during a visit by Saudi King
Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz, will start in August.

"This is the largest residential project in the history of the Kingdom and I
want it to be implemented as soon as possible and without any obstacles to
reduce the cost of housing units for citizens," King Abdullah said at a
meeting with officials in charge of the mega housing scheme held at Bayt Al
Urdun.

In a related development, the Monarch tasked Prince Feisal with chairing a Royal
committee to follow up on the implementation of the 70,000-unit housing project.

Minister of Public Works and Housing Hosni Abu Gheida told reporters following
the meeting that construction work on the first phase of the multimillion-dinar
project, to be built on 21,164 dunums of state-owned lands, will start next
month, adding that the first phase will be constructed over 2,300 dunums.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit stressed that the government is
committed to taking all necessary measures to reduce the cost of the housing
units in response to the King's directives.

The premier added that the government has completed the Amman Master Plan and
has already embarked on implementing similar plans in seven main cities in the
country, including Zarqa.

The project is designed to house 370,000 citizens, with the cost of each
apartment previously estimated at JD30,000, but Abu Gheida said yesterday it is
too early to speak of prices at this stage. Each apartment's area will range
from 100-160 square metres.

Local banks, mainly Islamic, will be contracted to provide loans to citizens at
government-subsidised interest rates over 20 years. The cost of the land on
which the city will be built was estimated at JD600 million, while another
JD650 million of government funds will go to infrastructure projects.

The scheme seeks to enhance the living standards of the citizens in Zarqa
Governorate, help low- and limited-income citizens own their houses and reduce
the population density in the governorate from 175.3 persons per square
kilometre to the general average in the Kingdom of 61.6 persons per square
metre.

It also seeks to create investment climate and economic activities that help
reduce the poverty ratio.

In addition, it will house a large mosque that accommodates 5,000 worshippers
and include a conventions centre, as well as a library in addition to an
educational centre, National Resources Investment and Development Corporation
(MAWARED) General Manager Akram Abu Hamdan said in a presentation yesterday.

He said the project will also house banks, commercial centres and private sector
libraries, sport and recreational facilities, along with schools, state
agencies, healthcare centres, police and civil defence stations, youth centres,
bus terminals, post offices and public parks and gardens.

The urban facilities will be replacing army camps that have been relocated.

State-owned MAWARED, the key developer, has set up a subsidiary to handle the
project. It has partnered with private sector firms and Saudi companies to
implement the mega project.

Posted by MEEF at 06:00 PM | Permalink

Jordan Times

July 30, 2007

King urges speedy work on "King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud Residential
City" designed to ensure citizens reasonably-priced housing

By Mohammad Ghazal

AMMAN -- King Abdullah on Monday issued instructions to the government to
accelerate efforts to build the King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Residential City In Zarqa.

Works in the residential project, announced in June during a visit by Saudi King
Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz, will start in August.

"This is the largest residential project in the history of the Kingdom and I
want it to be implemented as soon as possible and without any obstacles to
reduce the cost of housing units for citizens," King Abdullah said at a
meeting with officials in charge of the mega housing scheme held at Bayt Al
Urdun.

In a related development, the Monarch tasked Prince Feisal with chairing a Royal
committee to follow up on the implementation of the 70,000-unit housing project.

Minister of Public Works and Housing Hosni Abu Gheida told reporters following
the meeting that construction work on the first phase of the multimillion-dinar
project, to be built on 21,164 dunums of state-owned lands, will start next
month, adding that the first phase will be constructed over 2,300 dunums.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit stressed that the government is
committed to taking all necessary measures to reduce the cost of the housing
units in response to the King's directives.

The premier added that the government has completed the Amman Master Plan and
has already embarked on implementing similar plans in seven main cities in the
country, including Zarqa.

The project is designed to house 370,000 citizens, with the cost of each
apartment previously estimated at JD30,000, but Abu Gheida said yesterday it is
too early to speak of prices at this stage. Each apartment's area will range
from 100-160 square metres.

Local banks, mainly Islamic, will be contracted to provide loans to citizens at
government-subsidised interest rates over 20 years. The cost of the land on
which the city will be built was estimated at JD600 million, while another
JD650 million of government funds will go to infrastructure projects.

The scheme seeks to enhance the living standards of the citizens in Zarqa
Governorate, help low- and limited-income citizens own their houses and reduce
the population density in the governorate from 175.3 persons per square
kilometre to the general average in the Kingdom of 61.6 persons per square
metre.

It also seeks to create investment climate and economic activities that help
reduce the poverty ratio.

In addition, it will house a large mosque that accommodates 5,000 worshippers
and include a conventions centre, as well as a library in addition to an
educational centre, National Resources Investment and Development Corporation
(MAWARED) General Manager Akram Abu Hamdan said in a presentation yesterday.

He said the project will also house banks, commercial centres and private sector
libraries, sport and recreational facilities, along with schools, state
agencies, healthcare centres, police and civil defence stations, youth centres,
bus terminals, post offices and public parks and gardens.

The urban facilities will be replacing army camps that have been relocated.

State-owned MAWARED, the key developer, has set up a subsidiary to handle the
project. It has partnered with private sector firms and Saudi companies to
implement the mega project.

Posted by MEEF at 06:00 PM | Permalink

Haaretz

July 30, 2007

By Ido Solomon

Workers at the building housing the Tel Aviv branches of government offices will launch labor sanctions this morning, in protest over Finance Ministry delays in fixing a faulty ventilation system and other problems they say constitute health hazards. The 1,700 workers will come to work, but will not provide services to the public, nor answer the phones.

The sanctions will affect the offices of the Employment Service, Interior Ministry, Israel Lands Administration, Environment Ministry, Income Tax Office, Construction and Housing Ministry and Civil Service Commission.

Soon after the building opened in 2005, the workers began to feel the effects of air shortage, leading to a suffocating sensation and stinging and inflamed eyes. The problem is particularly severe because the windows do not open. The workers commissioned a professional opinion, which determined that the ventilation system was faulty.

The lack of air in the building also causes a stench originating in the parking lot to reach the highest floors.

The workers handed the report to the deputy directors general, but nothing was done. Sanctions held in the building six months ago ended with a promise of negotiations, but the problems were never fixed.

Similar safety and health deficiencies exist in other government buildings - and treasury officials are not doing anything about those cases either.

"The state is shirking its responsibility for the workers' health," charges Civil Service Union chair, Ariel Yaakobi. "The state must solve the problem or get the capitalist who built the building to fix the faults."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/887440.html

Posted by MEEF at 05:56 PM | Permalink

Jordan Times

Jul. 30, 2007

Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN -- The Water Authority on Sunday resumed pumping drinking water from 20 artesian wells to citizens in the northern governorates after lab tests indicated they were free of pollutants, a Water Ministry official said on Sunday.

The Water Authority had suspended pumping water from 34 artesian wells that supply drinking water to a wide segment of citizens in the northern areas, following the emergence of diarrhoea and high fever cases earlier this month.

Water from the remaining 14 wells will be pumped as soon as the results of lab tests being conducted by the Royal Scientific Society are officially announced, Water Ministry Spokesperson Adnan Zu'bi told The Jordan Times yesterday.

"This morning we started pumping drinking water at a rate of 1,200 cubic meters per hour in accordance with the area's water distribution timetable," he said.

"Hopefully, by next week, pumping operations will be back to where they were before the outbreak," the official added.

The decision comes as a relief for many citizens, as the situation in the area started to reach crisis levels due to the shortage of drinking water.

Water tankers took advantage of the situation, charging exorbitant rates.

Residents of a village in Irbid Governorate said they had to pay JD30 for a six-cubic-metre tanker, which used to cost JD15 before the crisis.

In response, the Water Authority in cooperation with governors of northern districts on Sunday announced a uniform price of JD2 per cubic metre, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Acting Director of the Water Authority Khaldoun Khoshman said security personnel would be stationed at wells to organise and oversee the process of selling drinking water to area residents, Petra added.

The ministry's decision to resume water supplies did not include the town of Mansheyet Bani Hassan, where the water network will be replaced under a government decision.

In the meanwhile, Water Authority tankers will provide area residents with their water needs free of charge.

Only three new diarrhoea and high fever cases reported to the Mansheyet Bani Hassan Health Centre on Sunday, bringing the total since the beginning of the outbreak to 1,040, Mafraq health director Suleiman Affash told The Jordan Times yesterday.

He said one of these three cases was hospitalised and expected to be discharged within 24 hours, highlighting that no other patients remained in any hospital.

Posted by MEEF at 08:28 AM | Permalink

Haaretz

August 2, 2007

By Jack Khoury

From a distance, the eastern neighborhood of the Galilee village of Majdal Krum looks pastoral, its relatively new homes sitting along green hills. Yesterday at dusk, a lone horse was even wandering in the fields. To the south, the nearby villas of Karmiel come into view. But as you come closer, you quickly see why residents call it "Sewage Valley."

The greenery flourishes in a bed of sewage, a heavy stench hangs over the air, an army of frogs living in the mire croak. This neighborhood, intended to be a well cared-for part of town and a place for young families, has suffered from this ecological nuisance for years, with no solution in sight.

In the town of al-Shagur, created in 2003 by unifying the administration of the towns of Majdal Krum, Bana and Dir al-Assad, they know the problem well, but say that lack of funding has made it impossible to find a thorough solution.

The head of the municipal sanitation department, Walid Zgayer, explains that the source of the problem is a leaking sewage main that runs through the neighborhood. According to Zgayer, the pipeline, which serves Bana and Dir al-Assad, was laid in 1990, but is no longer able to carry the amount of sewage from these two communities.

"At that time, the number of residents was no more than 7,000. Now, there are 17,000 residents, and 95 percent of them are connected to this sewage main," he says.

A few minutes' walk around this neighborhood is enough to get stung repeatedly by mosquitoes that rise like a cloud over the area.

According to local resident Shadi Diab, "You have to see it to believe that this is the way a residential neighborhood looks in a city in Israel in 2007."

Standing near his home, Diab points out manhole covers consisting of tin plates and stones, placed there in an effort to stem the invasion of the putrid flow. "This is the only way," he adds. "Some days, when the flow is particularly strong, the road becomes a canal, with chicken carcasses floating through it." Diab also says that because of this situation, he hardly lets his two daughters go out of the house. Some of his neighbors, he says, want to sell their homes because of the filth. "But who will buy homes in a neighborhood like this?" he wonders.

Rula and Madhat Dib live nearby with their 2-year-old daughter, Jana. The couple says that when they built their home here, they thought they could start a new "normal" life. But meanwhile, they are busy mainly trying to keep away from the sewage and the foul odors. "We feel helpless," Madhat says. "All the solutions are like pain-killers and no one has the tools to deal with the situation. It's a catastrophe."

Rula, a teacher of environmental studies, tries to keep Jana away from the polluted water sitting at their doorstep. "I teach environmental studies and can't live in normal surroundings. We are in total desperation. We think 'what a terrible environment our children live in' and look across the road and see how they live in Karmiel. It hurts."

Meanwhile, the municipality is trying to provide temporary solutions to the problem by pumping the sewage and spraying against pests. The city's water and sewage head, Ghasan Assaf, explains that plans exist on paper to build another sewage main and a new pumping station, but for now, there is funding only for the sewage main.

"The building of the sewage main is the first step in a solution," Assaf says. "There is an urgent need for a new pumping station to prevent sewage overflow. This will cost about NIS 10 million. The municipality has to raise this money from its income or from the relevant government ministries," Assaf says.

But in the meantime, the money has not been raised, and the residents continue to live in Sewage Valley.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/887994.html

Posted by MEEF at 08:03 AM | Permalink

Haaretz

July 31, 2007

By Zafrir Rinat

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked to put off the removal of the fish cages from the Eilat Gulf by two years, despite a cabinet decision two years ago stating that they must go within three years.

PMO Director General Ra'anan Dinur, head of the committee for implementing the cabinet's decision to remove the cages, said the fish farmers needed more time to get organized, and removing the cages sooner would leave them without a living.

Environment Minister Gideon Ezra objected to any further delay in removing the fish cages and demanded that the cabinet decision be implemented on schedule.

Ezra wrote Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, saying the fish farms have had enough time to get organized. Maintaining the fish farms in the Eilat Gulf continues to cause dreadful pollution in the bay, he said.

The cabinet decided two years ago to remove the fish cages gradually by the summer of 2008. One of the reasons prompting the decision was the pollution resulting from the fish cages, which threatens the bay's coral reef.

The cabinet's decision was approved by the Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court, which heard the state's suits against the two mariculture companies, Ardag and Dag-Suf, for running unlicensed businesses and illegal construction.

Ezra accused the fish farmers of failing to prepare for an alternative to the marine fish cages in Eilat. The mariculture companies denied this. Both sides are now waiting for Mazuz' decision on Dinur's request to postpone the cages' removal by two years.

Ezra said the mariculture companies had not submitted requests to build fish ponds or asked for government assistance to finance their construction. "The ministry will not change its mind and agree to a delay in removing the cages," he said. "That would be unacceptable from any public, environmental or moral point of view," he said.

Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court Judge Jacob Spasser last week approved a plea bargain with Dag Suf in which the company admitted running its fish farms without a license and building illegal cages and structures in the sea and on land. A similar bargain was struck with Erdag last year.

Ardag denied any foot-dragging in taking steps to remove its fish cages from Eilat and said the company was acting according to the court's ruling.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/887992.html

Posted by MEEF at 06:47 AM | Permalink

August 12, 2007

see http://www.foeme.org/events.php?ind=42 for hot links below.

On August 12, 2007, The World Bank has scheduled a public hearing on the issue
of the Terms of Reference for the Feasibility Study of the "Red Dead Canal".

It will take place in Jerusalem, from 09:30 - 12:30. (exact location to be
posted as soon as it is available)

Similar hearings will take place in Ramallah and Amman, although date, time and
place have yet to be advertised.

This is an opportunity for all interested / concerned citizens, academia,
organizations, businesses, municipalities, etc. to voice their questions and
concerns on the Terms of Reference for the Study of this complex proposed
project.

To best prepare for this important hearing, the following reading materials are
suggested:

FoEME Report on the proposed Red Dead Conduit - An analysis on the latest
research commissioned by FoEME on the Red Dead Conduit and its Relevance to the
World Bank Led Study

Executive Summary (Hebrew) of Report

World Bank Website on the Red Dead Conduit project

Eli Raz - Several articles about the Dead Sea (Hebrew)
Geologist, Kibbutz Ein Gedi, R&D Tamar Regional Council

Posted by MEEF at 06:43 AM | Permalink

Haaretz

August 1, 2007

By Eli Ashkenazi

Interest in Lake Kinneret goes deeper and wider than its water level or its recreational aspects, as seen by Monday's seminar marking the establishment of the Authority for the Conservation of Lake Kinneret.

Experts at the day-long meeting at Kibbutz Kfar Blum in the Hula Valley discussed agriculture, the environment, ecology, soil conservation and water, showing that the approximately 2,730 square kilometers of the Kinneret drainage basin is a world unto itself, that must be properly managed to protect the lake and the streams and lands around it.

For many years, the Kinneret Administration and the Kinneret Drainage Authority have been at work in the Kinneret basin. The administration protects the drainage basin against pollution, while the drainage authority looks after the streams leading into the lake. It has now been decided that there is a need for a body to deal with matters beyond the stream channels - conservation of the soil in the drainage basin.

"The goal of the authority is to deal with soil erosion and environmental nuisances before they reach the streams or the lake," said Moti Dotan, head of the Lower Galilee Regional Council and of the new body. Dotan says such treatment will save the state millions of shekels each year, which it now invests in cleaning the stream channels and removing waste from agricultural areas and open spaces.

Hillel Glazman, director of the stream monitoring department of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), says that farming methods can contribute to soil destruction and erosion that creates problems in the stream channels. So far, streambed rehabilitation has only resulted in the faster flow of sediment through the stream bed to the Kinneret, increasing the damage. The creation of the new body "changes the concept to an overview of the entire basin, which will express itself in soil conservation in the upper basin," Glazman says. "By preventing erosion and conserving vegetation in the upper basin, we will be able to better protect the open spaces. That will mean water will remain in the drainage basin for a longer time, and we will in fact be going back to a more natural state."

Yoram Turzion, the Agriculture Ministry's regional coordinator of soil conservation and engineering, presented the group with the necessity for cultivation from an ecological perspective.

"Conventional agriculture is the main cause of soil depletion," Turzion says. "To keep yields high requires increasingly greater investment, while the depletion continues through continued cultivation and the use of fertilizers and water."

Turzion says this vicious cycle can be broken by using different sowing methods, minimum cultivation, planting ground cover, organic produce, etc. These measures will not only improve the soil but will reduce flooding, decrease pressure on drainage systems, prevent stream pollution by fertilizers and enrich the aquifer.

"When fertile soil erodes, the fertilizers are swept away with it. Our goal is for everything to stay in its place," Dotan says. "My grandfather, of blessed memory, used to say that you can't create even one grain of soil, and we have to protect the land for the generations to come. That's our job."

Dr. Guy Levy of the Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences in the Agricultural Research Administration, presented a look at the expected impact of climate change on surface runoff in agricultural areas. Global warming, he says, will lead to less but more powerful individual rainstorms.

"In semi-arid and arid regions like Israel, this means a decline in the rainwater exploitation, due to increased loss of surface runoff because of more powerful rainfall." Levy predicted that such changes would increase the use of purified sewage in agriculture, but noted that such use changes the surface of the soil, making it more difficult for rainwater to penetrate.

To this complex mosaic, Dr. Yeshayahu Bar-Or of the Environmental Protection Ministry added that longer dry periods had been recorded in the Kinneret basin with less water reaching the lake.

Monday's searing weather outside the seminar hall emphasized the necessity to move ahead on solutions to the issues under discussion indoors.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/888409.html

Posted by MEEF at 06:39 AM | Permalink

Haaretz

August 2, 2007

By Haaretz Editorial

The many visitors to the Kinneret this summer are in for a disappointment. Most of the lake's shores are still surrounded by fences and an admission fee is charged. If this was not enough, entering some of the beaches is impossible because of pollution caused by raw sewage flowing into the water.

In the last two years, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has waged a vigorous campaign against the fencing off of the Kinneret's beaches and the charging of dozens of shekels per person to enter - both violations of the law. The state comptroller castigated these practices in a report he released, increasing the public support for the struggle to open the beaches.

At some point, it appeared the public pressure had yielded results. The Interior Ministry began to remove fences and initiate legal proceedings against businesspeople who had illegally taken over beaches.

The national Planning and Construction Commission approved a plan to build a path around the Kinneret, enabling people to walk all the way around the lake.

However, as Eli Ashkenazi reported last week (Haaretz, July 27), the progress was blocked. Most Kinneret beaches still charge admission and most still have fences around them. At the free beaches, there are no cleanup services, which the authorities used to finance with the admission fees, and they are filthy.

The progress has stalled mainly because of the obstacles put in place by the local authorities responsible for the beaches and the ministries' inability to coordinate the effort to change the situation.

The pollution was caused by the recent breakdowns in Tiberias' sewage system, which led to the sewage flow into the Kinneret. Consequently, the concentration of E coli bacteria rose during peak season.

The failure to open the Kinneret beaches and ensure their cleanliness makes it necessary to continue the public pressure on the ministries to preserve Israel's only lake and one of its main water sources.

The effort must proceed on two parallel tracks. One, to remove systematically every illegal fence and stop every illegal admission fee. The other track is to ensure financial assistance to local authorities to upkeep cleanliness at the beaches. The authorities' complaints about not being able to afford to clean up the filth created by hundreds and thousands of visitors should not be ignored.

Both tracks can be advanced by setting up a special authority to deal with the Kinneret and concentrate the appropriate powers and budgets.

As for the chronic collapses of the sewage system, this highlights the wider problem of local authorities that fail to maintain their facilities. What is required is more aggressive enforcement of the law against authorities that cause pollution.

Other measures are needed, such as new sewage and water corporations to service the infrastructure without being directly dependent on one local authority or another. Their job would be to ensure that the water and sewage taxes are used only for the purpose for which they are collected.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/888935.html

Posted by MEEF at 06:37 AM | Permalink

The Jerusalem Post

Aug. 1, 2007

rory kress

The Kinneret Basin Authority was established this week to protect the soil in the region surrounding Israel's largest freshwater source.

Lake Kinneret has long been an environmental concern due to its receding water level, and most recently, last week's forced closing of its public beaches due to sewage contamination of the water.

The new authority, chaired by Lower Galilee Regional Council mayor Moti Dotan, is not anticipated to incur any costs. Instead it is expected to save approximately NIS 55 million a year by precluding the need to extensively clean the surrounding rivers annually, and by preventing water runoff which will enable local farmers to preserve the water and reuse it, relieving some of the pumping strain already on the Kinneret itself.

Dotan told The Jerusalem Post that he hoped the revitalization of the Kinneret basin would boost tourist activity in the region. "People like to walk around the rivers, but right now they hate to because the water is not clean. If we cleaned the rivers then people would love to come."

A pilot revitalization program, which began two years ago in the Yavniel River, has seen great success. The program includes the planting of low-water trees and species of grass along the river banks, which has enabled the plants to hold the soil that would otherwise have been lost in runoff and muddied the rivers.

"I believe that in a decade, all the rivers in the region of the Kinneret will be clean and lively tourist areas. And I believe we will have a much cleaner Lake Kinneret. For all of the people who rely on agriculture in the North for their living, we will have - in the end - saved them a lot of money."

Global warming was another consideration in creating the Kinneret Basin Authority. Dotan predicted that as winters shorten and rain comes in acute, more intense bursts, the basin would be exposed to the risk of soil loss to the surrounding bodies of water.

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185893693013&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Posted by MEEF at 06:26 AM | Permalink