Op-edWe could have reduced, if not prevented, this catastrophe
Israel’s coast is devastated by an oil spill. If only we’d had an emergency plan
A national response plan for marine oil pollution incidents was ordered in 2008; it was never implemented. Now the beaches are closed, seafood is banned, and further disasters loom
David Horovitz is the founding editor of The Times of Israel. He is the author of Still Life with Bombers (2004) and A Little Too Close to God (2000), and co-author of Shalom Friend: The Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin (1996). He previously edited The Jerusalem Post (2004-2011) and The Jerusalem Report (1998-2004).
Israelâs Beaches Are Littered With Tar After Mysterious Oil Spill
The environmental damage is being called one of Israelâs worst ecological disasters in decades. âI feel like I want to cry,â said an official. âItâs everywhere.â
Israeli soldiers cleaning tar on Monday from the shoreline at Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Tel Aviv.Credit.Ariel Schalit/Associated Press
By Adam Rasgon
Feb. 23, 2021
JERUSALEM â A large oil spill from an unknown source has devastated sea life in the Mediterranean and spewed tons of tar across more than 100 miles of coastline from Israel to southern Lebanon in what Israeli officials are calling one of the worst ecological disasters in decades.
Precautionary Ban on Seafood Due to Coastal Oil Spill hamodia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hamodia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel s environment reporter.
A ladybug rests on tar-covered rocks and shells after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea, at Tel-Dor Nature Reserve in Nahsholim, Israel; Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. A disastrous oil spill has blackened most of the country s shoreline and reached beaches of neighboring Lebanon. The cleanup is expected to take months. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The government on Tuesday approved NIS 45 million ($13.8 million) for the cleanup of Israel’s Mediterranean beaches, most of which have been severely contaminated by tar following an oil spill at sea which is currently under investigation.
The government’s announcement followed a court decision Tuesday morning to cancel a seven-day ban on the reporting of any details about the probe, in favor of a package of more limited reporting rules. The change followed a petition from several media organizations.