Ziv Reinstein on opening Katsaa Beach in Eilat to the public.
From the main edition with Yaakov Ilon 5.7.17/Video editing: Nir Chen
A special survey, published for the first time, states:
97 percent of the public think that the Gulf of Eilat and the coral reef must be protected from risk, such as oil transportation.
The survey, carried out by the iGeo company from Geocartography, is being published in anticipation of the secrecy of the Katsa Company (Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline) which was established in the 1960s and will expire in a few days, on February 15, and should prevent any publication regarding the company's business, this after Over 380 objections to the extension of confidentiality have been submitted to the government legislation website, among others by the Society for the Protection of Nature, the Nature and Parks Authority, the Eilot Regional Council, the Association of Cities for the Environment Ashkelon Governorate, the Municipality of Eilat, the Saba' Association and the Movement for the Quality of Government.
The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is expected to discuss the extension of the secrecy in the coming days, which should be extended until the end of 2027, this in light of the KSA's desire to significantly increase the transportation of oil from the United Arab Emirates through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Eilat - a move that could destroy the city and the Gulf, the fishing, tourism and the livelihood of the residents.
Let's just mention that Ktsa is responsible, among other things, for the ecological disaster caused by the company in the Evrona Reserve in 2014, in which 5 million liters of liquid were poured into the Evrona Reserve in the Arava, causing tremendous damage to it, the animals, the vegetation, and the land .
The survey was conducted for the environmental organizations the Society for the Protection of Nature and Zelul, which lead the headquarters of the struggle against the transportation of oil through the Gulf of Eilat, as part of the environmental organizations' struggle against the plan to increase the transportation of oil through the Gulf of Eilat.
The survey also found that 92 percent of the public think that damage to the reef and the beaches of Eilat will be a severe economic blow to the city and the livelihood of its residents;
44 percent of the public say they will come to vacation less in Eilat if the reef is damaged;
83 percent of the public is disturbed by the plan to increase the transportation of oil through the Gulf of Eilat;
84 percent of the public think that the plan to increase the transportation of oil through the Gulf of Eilat should be stopped completely, if this endangers Israel's drinking water;
92 percent of the public think that the State of Israel should reduce the use of polluting fuels and switch to the use of cleaner energies.
More than 380 objections were submitted to the extension of the confidentiality of Ktsa/Society for the Protection of Nature, Dov Greenblatt
3/4 want to preserve the coral reef in Eilat
On the question, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following sentence: The Gulf of Eilat and the coral reef where they are important natural sites, which must be protected and preserved from industrial activity that may put them at risk (such as: oil transportation, construction near the sea, industrial plants in the Gulf, etc.), answered 73 percent that they strongly agree and another 25 percent that they somewhat agree.
When the people were asked to what extent they agree or disagree with the following sentence: The beach and the coral reefs in the Gulf of Eilat are a significant attraction for tourism in Eilat, and environmental damage to them will be a severe economic blow to the city and its residents' sources of livelihood - 57 percent answered that they Strongly agree and another 35 percent who somewhat agree.
Regarding the question, do you usually vacation in Eilat with any frequency?
If so, if irreversible damage were caused to the coral reefs, would your willingness to return and vacation in Eilat be affected or not?
44 percent answered that the willingness was greatly impaired and somewhat impaired.
Respondents to the survey were told that the Prime Minister's Office and the Katsa Company are promoting a plan for a significant increase in the transportation of oil and fuels by ships through the Gulf of Eilat and the Port of Ashkelon, which is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and that the plan exposes the Gulf of Eilat and some of Israel's beaches and nature reserves, which are ecologically sensitive to the possibility of an oil spill , which may cause widespread pollution and fatal, even irreversible, damage to the coral reef in Eilat and natural values in the sea. When they were asked, how much does this possibility bother you, or does it not bother you? 33 percent answered that it bothers them a lot and another 50 percent that it quite bothers them .
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Corals in the Gulf of Eilat/Nature and Parks Authority, Dr. Assaf Zebuloni
"Warning light for the government of Israel"
The Society for the Protection of Nature stated: "The results of the survey must be a warning light to the Israeli government - its findings prove beyond any doubt that the Ketsa Company has narrow economic interests that are contrary to the public interests, which include concern for the city of Eilat, the health of the residents, the preservation of nature and the city's tourism and economy.
The Society for the Protection of Nature calls on the government of Israel to adopt the policy of zero additional risk in the Gulf of Eilat and Ashkelon, which is led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and not to allow KSA to increase the transportation of oil in the Gulf of Eilat.
Mezlol said: "It is good to see that 90% of the public in Israel are united in the need to reduce the use of polluting fuels and that over 80% agree that the transportation of oil through Israel should be stopped, because of the risk it poses to our desalination facilities and drinking water. The survey also proves that most of the public In Israel, it is important to protect and preserve the Gulf of Eilat from the dangers of oil pollution that will harm the rare sea, the beaches and the coral reef in the Gulf. We call on the Ministers of Finance and Energy to listen to the voice of the people and stop the expansion of the transportation of oil by Katsa, which endangers Israel in so many ways."
More on the same topic:
Ktsa'a
oil
Eilat
Nature Protection Society