The Ministry of Environmental Protection's emergency hotline, together with the Association of Cities for the Environment of Samaria, will for the first time record the quantity and location of pirated fires in Judea and Samaria in order to create an up-to-date picture of the situation and improve coping with these hazards, which harm the quality of life of residents in the area.
The phenomenon of pirate waste fires is one of the most serious health and environmental hazards in Judea and Samaria. In the absence of a regulated waste solution for Palestinian villages and cities, their residents burn hundreds of tons of waste daily in some 300 pirated waste sites. The products of these fires contain substances that pollute the air and create cross-border hazards that harm the health of all residents of Judea and Samaria as well as communities adjacent to the fence.
Judea and Samaria, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
An extensive article in Israel Hayom published a few months ago exposed the nightmare facing residents of Judea and Samaria. Mirom Rappaport told of severe waste fires near Kibbutz Beit HaArava where he lives. "They started burning down the site every few days, and it makes our lives a living hell. Sometimes fires burn for more than 24 hours. Thick black smoke from burning tires and electronic waste. It's just terrible and makes our lives impossible."
This month, the Cabinet approved a government decision submitted by Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman to deal with cross-border environmental hazards and strengthen environmental enforcement in Judea and Samaria. The Association of Cities for the Environment of Samaria, together with the Ministry of Environmental Protection's emergency hotline, initiated a record of the quantity and location of fires, and now the method of documentation has been added to the existing one, in order to obtain a clear and clear picture of the situation in order to monitor and promote the treatment of the serious hazard.
"The piracy fires in Judea and Samaria harm the residents' quality of life and we are working to eradicate the phenomenon," said Minister Silman. She said that the Association of Samaria Cities and the National Hazardous Materials and Emergency Division under her leadership cooperate on a daily basis, and have now tightened this cooperation in order to fight pirate crematoria. "This activity is intended to improve the transfer of information provided to the public and decision makers in order to improve dealing with these hazards."
Raful Engel, chairman of the Association of Cities for the Environment of Samaria and acting head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, said that "the Civil Administration is actually responsible for regulating the issue in Area C, but because of the lack of an end solution for Palestinian waste, and because of the lack of activity by the Civil Administration in Areas A and B, the hazards have only gotten worse over the years."
Idit Silman spoke at the Haaretz climate conference - and was silenced by the audience // Credit: Shahar Weinberg
Gilad Ben Ari, director general of the Association of Cities, noted that "this is an important layer in dealing with the complex phenomenon of fires. Our hope is that presenting the true picture of the situation will help resolve the issue. It is the duty of the state to promote this solution, and we will continue to act for this purpose and for the health of the residents and the protection of the environment."
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