Israel scrambles to save animals hurt in massive tar spill
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Israel scrambles to save animals hurt in massive tar spill
Veterinary professionals and volunteers rush to clean the beaches and rescue injured sea turtles, birds, lizards, snails and other wildlife.
By Abigail Klein Leichman
(February 24, 2021 / Israel21c) A catastrophic tar spill washing up along Israel’s entire Mediterranean coast may be the worst environmental disaster in Israeli history.
While government authorities investigate the source of the offshore leak of at least 1,000 tons of sticky, toxic tar, many Israeli civilians and soldiers are helping with cleanup efforts that will likely take months.
Israel scrambles to save animals hurt in massive tar spill israel21c.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from israel21c.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel s environment reporter.
A years-long campaign to stop construction on the hills south of the city of Modiin in central Israel concludes with success as a subcommittee of the National Planning rules that the area will instead be turned into a national park.
The planning council had already recommended delaying the building plans, pushed by the Housing and Construction Ministry, at least until all housing plans within the existing city had been implemented, and until completion of an updated national masterplan for building, development and preservation.
On Tuesday, the Society for the Protection of Nature, which helped to lead the campaign to preserve the hills, praises National Planning Council Director Dalit Zilber for having convinced the various organizations involved to back the creation of a national park.
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.
צריך לאסור מיד על מנגלים בסחנה מה פתאום אש ובשרים נחרכים בגן עדן haaretz.co.il - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from haaretz.co.il Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.