In light of the Government resolution approved last week to launch the multi-year plan for environmental rehabilitation in the confrontation line localities in the north, the implementation stage of the plan began today.
The Minister of Environmental Protection, Idit Silman, held a field work meeting on Tuesday (30/12) with heads of local authorities in the 0–9 km range, for the purpose of preparing for the submission of plans and the start of actual budget utilization. This is a wide-scale move aimed at environmental rehabilitation, treating hazards, and laying down long-term infrastructure in the northern localities damaged by the fighting and the continuous security burden. The plan includes a budget of approximately 224 million Shekels.
Minister of Environmental Protection, Idit Silman: “Today we are moving from the decision stage to the action stage, with significant budgets going down to the field and enabling the local authorities to begin real work. The hundreds of millions of shekels allocated for environmental rehabilitation give the confrontation line localities tools to cope with the damages of recent years – not only in treating hazards but in building environmental infrastructure that will serve the residents for years ahead. Establishing a regional framework for managing the Jordan rivers is a reality-changing move, which will ensure continuous treatment of the streams, protection of water sources, and strengthening of the North’s resilience. The Ministry will accompany the authorities hand in hand so that the budgets are translated quickly into plans and execution in the field”.
During the meeting, implementation mechanisms, budgeting tracks, and schedules were presented to the authorities, with the aim of enabling a rapid transition from the decision phase to the execution phase. Emphasis was placed on translating the budgets into applicable plans that will lead to a real improvement in quality of life and public health, and to the strengthening of community and environmental resilience in the confrontation line localities – both in large authorities and in small communities.
The plan includes a wide range of budgeting channels, among them significant investment in treating agricultural waste and establishing advanced facilities , rehabilitation of streams, open spaces, and urban nature, eradication of asbestos hazards, removal of bulky waste, and strengthening supervision and enforcement arrays in the field. The budgets are intended not only to provide an immediate response to hazards created during the period of fighting – but also to build stable environmental infrastructure that will serve the residents for years ahead.
Establishment of a Regional Framework for Managing the Jordan River Streams
One of the central axes discussed in the meeting is promoting the establishment of a joint regional framework for managing the Jordan River headwaters in cooperation with the ministry of Interior and the local authorities. This is a move with wide-ranging environmental and strategic significance, designed to create for the first time an integrative body that will handle the streams in a systematic and continuous manner – including waste removal, prevention of environmental hazards, supervision and enforcement, and protection of sensitive water sources. For the purpose of advancing this move, 10 million Shekels have been allocated, subject to the completion of the required regulation, and it is expected to be a central anchor for the long-term rehabilitation of one of the most important environmental assets in Israel.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection emphasizes that at this stage there is a focus on preparedness, planning, and submission of plans with the aim of enabling the start of gradual execution as early as the coming months. The plan designs for the first time an organized multi-year environmental planning for the confrontation line area which combines Ministry budgets, the Maintenance of Cleanliness Fund, and additional government bodies, within the framework of a long-term commitment to the rehabilitation of the North, the strengthening of local authorities, and the assurance of a safer, healthier, and more resilient living environment for its residents.