By Viva Sarah Press, NoCamels
March 11, 2021 7 minutes
Environment News
A clump of tar on a beach in Israel following the February 2021 oil spill. Photo: Rachel Pardo
Environmental groups in Israel are warning that a massive oil spill last month is a trailer of what’s to come if government plans for an oil pipeline deal set for the Red Sea port of Eilat materialize. The spill has continued to wash up clumps of tar along over 90 percent of the country’s 195-kilometer Mediterranean coastline, devastating beaches, killing wildlife, and reaching as far up as neighboring Lebanon.
“This is one of the worst ecological disasters we have ever experienced,” Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul environmental NGO that is dedicated to the protection of the seas and rivers of Israel, tells NoCamels. “And this is like a promo. This is nothing compared to what could happen to us. We have nature calling us, saying wake up, look what you’re doing.”