The Minister of Environmental Protection said that her office is examining information received from the European Maritime Safety Agency, according to which a suspicious spot was detected at sea via satellite about a week ago
The Minister of Environmental Protection, Gila Gamliel, said today (Saturday) that her office is examining information received from the European Maritime Safety Agency, according to which the suspect's spot was detected at sea via satellite about a week ago, about 50 kilometers off the coast of Israel.
"We located about 10 ships that passed by, and one or more of them may be suspected of being responsible for the serious incident that struck the shores of Israel," she said.
Tar pollution at Nitzanim Beach // Photo: The Green Police of the Ministry of Environmental Protection
"Our nature, the marine environment and the health of us all are not no man's land," she added.
"The polluting tar that harmed the beaches and animals has a person who acted negligently and irresponsibly. The damage caused to nature should concern every citizen in the State of Israel. We continue by all means to locate the person responsible for the incident, use all powers against him and bring him to justice."
Gamliel commented on the clean-up operation, most of which is organized by local authorities, the Nature and Parks Authority and environmental organizations: "The thousands of volunteers who came over the weekend and the public's mobilization for beach cleaning efforts are heartbreaking. Tar is a dangerous substance. The local authorities, the Nature and Parks Authority and the accommodation, which trained volunteers with us on the subject. "
President Reuven Rivlin also referred to pollution on the country's shores and said that "the pollution pictures on our shores are terrible."
He said, "Alas for our flora and fauna and the seawater that has been blackened by many tons of tar. It is time for an immediate national plan before we face an unprecedented ecological disaster."
Rivlin added: "I send my deepest congratulations and gratitude to the wonderful citizens who set out to lend a hand to nature in cleanliness and life-saving operations on the beaches. These actions must be supported by an orderly and budgeted program that will curb disaster and ensure readiness for such difficult cases in the future."
Bat Yam Mayor Zvika Brut has ordered a sea crawl of the rocks along the coast tomorrow, to make sure that no tar bodies have adhered to the rocks or the unique fencing tables on the beach.
The Bat Yam municipality stated that at this stage it is recommended to avoid reaching the beaches in the next two days, in order to avoid contact with the contaminated material until its collection is complete.
Participated in the preparation of the article: Dan Lavie, Shlomi Diaz and Yuri Yalon
