30 june 2014
Officials at the Gaza Strip power plant announced Monday that they are no longer able to provide electricity for eight hours per day.
The company said in a statement that it was “doing its utmost” to provide power for water wells, sewage plants, hospitals and medical centers to prevent any humanitarian or environmental disaster.
The statement called upon all concerned parties to increase the available amount of electricity.
The company recommended people not to increase their consumption of electricity, especially in the hot weather, and to avoid turning on air conditioning in public and private facilities and mosques.
The company said in a statement that it was “doing its utmost” to provide power for water wells, sewage plants, hospitals and medical centers to prevent any humanitarian or environmental disaster.
The statement called upon all concerned parties to increase the available amount of electricity.
The company recommended people not to increase their consumption of electricity, especially in the hot weather, and to avoid turning on air conditioning in public and private facilities and mosques.
The carcass of a donkey is seen on a beach in the central Gaza Strip June 26, 2014
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
When Palestinians in the Gaza Strip seek some relief from the grind of life in an enclave plagued by conflict and hardship, they usually need to look no further than their sandy beaches.
But this summer access to the cooling waters of the Mediterranean is gradually being closed off to Gaza's 1.8 million residents, due to pollution stemming from the fuel shortages that have halted work at sewage treatment facilities.
The blighted shoreline adds to the grind of Gazan life so far unrelieved by the reconciliation pact which the dominant Islamist group Hamas signed with Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas.
One Hamas official mooted retaking charge of the territory if the Abbas-led new government did not wade in with remedies.
Baha al-Agha of the Gaza Environment Quality Authority said about 100,000 cubic metres of untreated waste water are being pumped into the sea daily.
"Swimming is prohibited" signs have gone up at several beaches. But at one of Gaza's most popular beaches, dozens of people, including children, splashed in the water over the weekend despite the posted warning.
"Things are getting worse day by day in the absence of real and quick solutions," Agha told Reuters. He called on the Palestinian unity government formed earlier this month to act immediately, "before Gaza beaches are declared a disaster area".
Egypt's closure of most of the estimated 1,200 cross-border smuggling tunnels run by Hamas has virtually stopped cheap Egyptian fuel coming into Gaza.
Egypt's military-backed government fear the tunnels are used to take weapons into the Sinai Peninsula, and accuses Hamas of backing the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas denies it helps militants in Egypt.
Israel has its own blockade on Gaza, allowing in fuel and restricted imports since Hamas took control in 2007. But the Israeli fuel costs twice as much as Egyptian imports.
GARBAGE PILING UP
Gazan residents said they had little to celebrate at the start on Sunday of the Muslim month of Ramadan - traditionally a time for worship but also for family feasts in the evening at the end of a daily daytime fast.
Garbage has been piling up on the streets, with some 75 percent of sanitation trucks idled by the Gaza municipality's inability to pay high fuel prices.
"Tunnels are closed, crossings are closed, there is no sea port ... and now they are telling us the beaches are closed? Wouldn't it be easier if they just let us die in peace?" asked Ali Abu Hassan, a 46-year-old taxi driver.
Driving along Gaza's coastal road, the smell of sewage is sharp and waves hitting the beach are yellowish and brown.
Many in the Gaza Strip are also feeling the pinch of a salary dispute that could test the resilience of the new Hamas-Abbas unity government. Some 40,000 public servants hired by Hamas since it seized the Gaza Strip seven years ago from forces loyal to Abbas have not been paid in full for months due to a cash crunch caused by Egypt's tunnel crackdown.
Hopes of receiving wages quickly under the unity government were dashed when the new administration said it must first vet the employees before paying them - a process that could take months.
Hamas-hired workers, who held a one-day strike on Thursday, are particularly resentful that Abbas's Palestinian Authority has been paying its Gaza-based staff regularly, even though they have not reported to work since 2007.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, accused the Palestinian Authority of keeping order only in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Abbas's secular Fatah party has sway.
"I'm afraid that Hamas may be invited to return so as to preserve the security and the stability of the people of Gaza," he wrote on Facebook. "Gaza is under the responsibility neither of the former government nor of the unity government. Does this mean they (PA) have torn up the reconciliation agreement?"
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
When Palestinians in the Gaza Strip seek some relief from the grind of life in an enclave plagued by conflict and hardship, they usually need to look no further than their sandy beaches.
But this summer access to the cooling waters of the Mediterranean is gradually being closed off to Gaza's 1.8 million residents, due to pollution stemming from the fuel shortages that have halted work at sewage treatment facilities.
The blighted shoreline adds to the grind of Gazan life so far unrelieved by the reconciliation pact which the dominant Islamist group Hamas signed with Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas.
One Hamas official mooted retaking charge of the territory if the Abbas-led new government did not wade in with remedies.
Baha al-Agha of the Gaza Environment Quality Authority said about 100,000 cubic metres of untreated waste water are being pumped into the sea daily.
"Swimming is prohibited" signs have gone up at several beaches. But at one of Gaza's most popular beaches, dozens of people, including children, splashed in the water over the weekend despite the posted warning.
"Things are getting worse day by day in the absence of real and quick solutions," Agha told Reuters. He called on the Palestinian unity government formed earlier this month to act immediately, "before Gaza beaches are declared a disaster area".
Egypt's closure of most of the estimated 1,200 cross-border smuggling tunnels run by Hamas has virtually stopped cheap Egyptian fuel coming into Gaza.
Egypt's military-backed government fear the tunnels are used to take weapons into the Sinai Peninsula, and accuses Hamas of backing the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas denies it helps militants in Egypt.
Israel has its own blockade on Gaza, allowing in fuel and restricted imports since Hamas took control in 2007. But the Israeli fuel costs twice as much as Egyptian imports.
GARBAGE PILING UP
Gazan residents said they had little to celebrate at the start on Sunday of the Muslim month of Ramadan - traditionally a time for worship but also for family feasts in the evening at the end of a daily daytime fast.
Garbage has been piling up on the streets, with some 75 percent of sanitation trucks idled by the Gaza municipality's inability to pay high fuel prices.
"Tunnels are closed, crossings are closed, there is no sea port ... and now they are telling us the beaches are closed? Wouldn't it be easier if they just let us die in peace?" asked Ali Abu Hassan, a 46-year-old taxi driver.
Driving along Gaza's coastal road, the smell of sewage is sharp and waves hitting the beach are yellowish and brown.
Many in the Gaza Strip are also feeling the pinch of a salary dispute that could test the resilience of the new Hamas-Abbas unity government. Some 40,000 public servants hired by Hamas since it seized the Gaza Strip seven years ago from forces loyal to Abbas have not been paid in full for months due to a cash crunch caused by Egypt's tunnel crackdown.
Hopes of receiving wages quickly under the unity government were dashed when the new administration said it must first vet the employees before paying them - a process that could take months.
Hamas-hired workers, who held a one-day strike on Thursday, are particularly resentful that Abbas's Palestinian Authority has been paying its Gaza-based staff regularly, even though they have not reported to work since 2007.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, accused the Palestinian Authority of keeping order only in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Abbas's secular Fatah party has sway.
"I'm afraid that Hamas may be invited to return so as to preserve the security and the stability of the people of Gaza," he wrote on Facebook. "Gaza is under the responsibility neither of the former government nor of the unity government. Does this mean they (PA) have torn up the reconciliation agreement?"
26 june 2014
The popular committee against the siege confirmed that Israel's illegal and immoral restrictions have deepened the crisis in the besieged strip of Gaza, where 70 percent of Gaza population lives below the poverty line.
In its new report issued on Tuesday, the Popular Committee stated that more than one million Palestinian depend on aid supplies provided by international, Arab and Islamic humanitarian institutions that do not meet their needs.
The poverty rate has increased dramatically to reach 50 percent, while the daily average per capita income in the Gaza Strip is estimated at two dollars, 40 times less than Israeli income rate.
The report added that fuel and power crises are the most difficult problems witnessing in the besieged strip. Closing Karem Abu Salem crossing for only one day could lead to a significant fuel crisis in addition to 8-12 hours of power cuts each day, according to the report.
The power crisis has significantly affected public services in hospitals and schools in addition to the shutdown of several factories.
The report pointed out that Israeli occupation has deliberately targeted Gaza infrastructure and construction sector, which led to heavy economic losses.
Israeli authorities have banned the entry of construction materials, which led to the stop of construction projects estimated at 500 million dollars in light of the acute housing crisis in the strip.
In 2006, 4000 tons of cements, 1500 tons of steel, and 6000 tons of gravel were daily allowed to pass through Karem Abu Salem crossing, however; Israeli authorities have completely banned the entry of construction materials.
The report said that 80 percent of factories are partially or completely stopped in Gaza Strip due to the continued Israeli ban on construction materials’ access, which led to significant increase in unemployment rate.
On the other hand, the report said that 95 percent of Gaza water is unsafe for drinking due to acute shortage of desalination plants.
The report confirmed that Israeli occupation only allows fishing within six nautical miles off Gaza shores. However; Israeli arrests and attacks against Palestinian fishermen and their fishing equipments are still continued in the allowed area.
Meanwhile, spokesman for the health ministry Ashraf Qudra warned of the serious deterioration of health situation in Gaza strip due to the unprecedented shortage in medical supplies and fuel in light of the continued unfair siege impose on Gaza Strip.
In its new report issued on Tuesday, the Popular Committee stated that more than one million Palestinian depend on aid supplies provided by international, Arab and Islamic humanitarian institutions that do not meet their needs.
The poverty rate has increased dramatically to reach 50 percent, while the daily average per capita income in the Gaza Strip is estimated at two dollars, 40 times less than Israeli income rate.
The report added that fuel and power crises are the most difficult problems witnessing in the besieged strip. Closing Karem Abu Salem crossing for only one day could lead to a significant fuel crisis in addition to 8-12 hours of power cuts each day, according to the report.
The power crisis has significantly affected public services in hospitals and schools in addition to the shutdown of several factories.
The report pointed out that Israeli occupation has deliberately targeted Gaza infrastructure and construction sector, which led to heavy economic losses.
Israeli authorities have banned the entry of construction materials, which led to the stop of construction projects estimated at 500 million dollars in light of the acute housing crisis in the strip.
In 2006, 4000 tons of cements, 1500 tons of steel, and 6000 tons of gravel were daily allowed to pass through Karem Abu Salem crossing, however; Israeli authorities have completely banned the entry of construction materials.
The report said that 80 percent of factories are partially or completely stopped in Gaza Strip due to the continued Israeli ban on construction materials’ access, which led to significant increase in unemployment rate.
On the other hand, the report said that 95 percent of Gaza water is unsafe for drinking due to acute shortage of desalination plants.
The report confirmed that Israeli occupation only allows fishing within six nautical miles off Gaza shores. However; Israeli arrests and attacks against Palestinian fishermen and their fishing equipments are still continued in the allowed area.
Meanwhile, spokesman for the health ministry Ashraf Qudra warned of the serious deterioration of health situation in Gaza strip due to the unprecedented shortage in medical supplies and fuel in light of the continued unfair siege impose on Gaza Strip.
10 june 2014
Half of the beaches in Gaza have dangerous levels of contamination and are unfit for swimming, the Palestinian environmental authority said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Health, together with the environmental authority, takes samples along the coast every month to test levels of pollution and contamination.
Khalid Abu Ghali, a spokesman for the environmental authority, told Ma'an that over 50 percent of the beaches are not fit for swimming and the agency has contacted concerned parties and lifeguards to identify areas with high levels of contamination.
Maps explaining which beaches are safe will be posted in public areas, he added.
The main cause of contamination is the low quality of sewage treatment stations which pump waste-water into the sea.
Three stations in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah do not function properly because of continuous power cuts due to a lack of fuel, Abu Ghali said.
Waste-water is often pumped directly into the sea without being treated due to the power cuts.
In 2012, the United Nations published a report warning that Gaza will no longer be "liveable" by 2020 unless urgent action is taken to improve water supply, power, health, and schooling.
An Israeli blockade on Gaza has been in place since 2006, limiting imports and exports and leading to major economic decline and a wide-reaching humanitarian crisis.
The Ministry of Health, together with the environmental authority, takes samples along the coast every month to test levels of pollution and contamination.
Khalid Abu Ghali, a spokesman for the environmental authority, told Ma'an that over 50 percent of the beaches are not fit for swimming and the agency has contacted concerned parties and lifeguards to identify areas with high levels of contamination.
Maps explaining which beaches are safe will be posted in public areas, he added.
The main cause of contamination is the low quality of sewage treatment stations which pump waste-water into the sea.
Three stations in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah do not function properly because of continuous power cuts due to a lack of fuel, Abu Ghali said.
Waste-water is often pumped directly into the sea without being treated due to the power cuts.
In 2012, the United Nations published a report warning that Gaza will no longer be "liveable" by 2020 unless urgent action is taken to improve water supply, power, health, and schooling.
An Israeli blockade on Gaza has been in place since 2006, limiting imports and exports and leading to major economic decline and a wide-reaching humanitarian crisis.
20 may 2014
Several Palestinian commercial buildings, power lines, and agricultural crops have been demolished by Israeli bulldozers in different areas of the Occupied Jerusalem and West Bank over the past 24 hours. PIC correspondent quoted local sources as stating that arbitrary demolitions of a series of commercial buildings, carpentry and other shops, were carried out by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Tuesday morning after having encircled a neighborhood north-west of Occupied Jerusalem and blocked its entrance and exit gates.
Other to-be-demolished buildings are being evacuated by Israeli soldiers.
In a related context, IOF ruined the power network in Idna town, west of al-Khalil, following bulldozing procedures and brusque invasions on Monday.
Local sources said IOF took off power poles, causing serious damage to around 500 meters-long electricity lines.
Israeli soldiers also broke into nearby Wadi Risha and rummaged through Palestinians’ native homes. Military checkpoints were randomly set up while vehicles and IDs were meticulously inspected, eye-witnesses told PIC.
In a similar incident, Israeli vehicles bulldozed large areas of Nahalin village, all planted with perennial trees, west of Bethlehem, on Monday morning.
Majid Ghyadha, member of Nahalin Village Council, said in a press release that Israeli bulldozers messed up the naturally idiosyncratic character of several acres of Wadi Salem lands. Dozens of olive, almond, and grape trees, all perennials, were entirely knocked down throughout.
IOF, heavily deployed in the area, have been denying landowners access into their lands, Ghyadha added, warning of anticipated plans to construct a road linking between the nearby illegal Daniel and Beitar Illit settlements.
The upsurge of Israeli attacks on Palestinian citizens and property in the village has been on the rise and made obvious through frequent pumping of water-wastes over Palestinians plants, razing procedures, and illegal land confiscation.
Meanwhile, a series of random combing operations were performed by IOF soldiers at the main entrance to the Fawar refugee camp, south of al-Khalil, on Monday night.
According to eye-witnesses, flare bombs were fired by an Israeli infantry unit that has stationed in the area and denied Palestinian citizens access out of or into the camp, with no legitimate reasons.
Other to-be-demolished buildings are being evacuated by Israeli soldiers.
In a related context, IOF ruined the power network in Idna town, west of al-Khalil, following bulldozing procedures and brusque invasions on Monday.
Local sources said IOF took off power poles, causing serious damage to around 500 meters-long electricity lines.
Israeli soldiers also broke into nearby Wadi Risha and rummaged through Palestinians’ native homes. Military checkpoints were randomly set up while vehicles and IDs were meticulously inspected, eye-witnesses told PIC.
In a similar incident, Israeli vehicles bulldozed large areas of Nahalin village, all planted with perennial trees, west of Bethlehem, on Monday morning.
Majid Ghyadha, member of Nahalin Village Council, said in a press release that Israeli bulldozers messed up the naturally idiosyncratic character of several acres of Wadi Salem lands. Dozens of olive, almond, and grape trees, all perennials, were entirely knocked down throughout.
IOF, heavily deployed in the area, have been denying landowners access into their lands, Ghyadha added, warning of anticipated plans to construct a road linking between the nearby illegal Daniel and Beitar Illit settlements.
The upsurge of Israeli attacks on Palestinian citizens and property in the village has been on the rise and made obvious through frequent pumping of water-wastes over Palestinians plants, razing procedures, and illegal land confiscation.
Meanwhile, a series of random combing operations were performed by IOF soldiers at the main entrance to the Fawar refugee camp, south of al-Khalil, on Monday night.
According to eye-witnesses, flare bombs were fired by an Israeli infantry unit that has stationed in the area and denied Palestinian citizens access out of or into the camp, with no legitimate reasons.
11 may 2014
Like many cities in the region, the southern West Bank city of Hebron faces a shortage of space for waste disposal. Unlike most cities, however, Hebron's problems are exacerbated by gun-toting Israeli settlers who forcibly access the area's main landfill.
Mayor Dawood Zaatari told Ma'an on Sunday that the al-Minya landfill, which was built with World Bank funds specifically to serve the 800,000 Palestinian residents of the Bethlehem and Hebron regions, is still being used by Israeli settlers who dump their waste "at gunpoint."
"We could take the case to international courts in order to stop settlers from using the dump," al-Zaatari added, stressing that "settlements are illegal and we don't recognize them."
Al-Zaatari, who chairs the Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management of Bethlehem and Hebron, added that the council contacted several international organizations and donor countries in attempt to stop settlers' violations. "A legal committee is studying the case and we could end up filing a complaint against settlers," he added.
The al-Minya landfill is the first modern waste landfill in the southern West Bank, and was intended to dispose of 34 percent of the entire West Bank's total needs.
Mayor Dawood Zaatari told Ma'an on Sunday that the al-Minya landfill, which was built with World Bank funds specifically to serve the 800,000 Palestinian residents of the Bethlehem and Hebron regions, is still being used by Israeli settlers who dump their waste "at gunpoint."
"We could take the case to international courts in order to stop settlers from using the dump," al-Zaatari added, stressing that "settlements are illegal and we don't recognize them."
Al-Zaatari, who chairs the Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management of Bethlehem and Hebron, added that the council contacted several international organizations and donor countries in attempt to stop settlers' violations. "A legal committee is studying the case and we could end up filing a complaint against settlers," he added.
The al-Minya landfill is the first modern waste landfill in the southern West Bank, and was intended to dispose of 34 percent of the entire West Bank's total needs.
Hebron has also been suffering from a serious water shortage that is expected to take a few years in order to be fixed, the mayor told Ma'an.
Asked about the water crisis in Hebron and the municipality's preparations for the upcoming summer, the mayor said that all West Bank districts face water crises in summer. The problem, he said, is mainly political as Israel maintains control on water resources in the West Bank.
Hebron municipality is about to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Palestinian water authority to implement a wastewater desalination facility which will provide initially 12,000 cubic meters of water for agricultural and industrial use every day.
Hebron city needs 40,000 cubic meters of water every day. The Palestinian water authority, however, can provide only 25,000 cubic meters, according to mayor al-Zaatari, due to Israeli control over West Bank water resources.
Responding to a question about claims of maldistribution of water, the mayor said: "Water distribution is controlled electronically and we make sure that water is distributed equally to all citizens."
He added, however, that hospitals, medical centers and civil society organizations and the old city of Hebron are given priority because they deal with humanitarian issues.
Asked about the water crisis in Hebron and the municipality's preparations for the upcoming summer, the mayor said that all West Bank districts face water crises in summer. The problem, he said, is mainly political as Israel maintains control on water resources in the West Bank.
Hebron municipality is about to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Palestinian water authority to implement a wastewater desalination facility which will provide initially 12,000 cubic meters of water for agricultural and industrial use every day.
Hebron city needs 40,000 cubic meters of water every day. The Palestinian water authority, however, can provide only 25,000 cubic meters, according to mayor al-Zaatari, due to Israeli control over West Bank water resources.
Responding to a question about claims of maldistribution of water, the mayor said: "Water distribution is controlled electronically and we make sure that water is distributed equally to all citizens."
He added, however, that hospitals, medical centers and civil society organizations and the old city of Hebron are given priority because they deal with humanitarian issues.
7 may 2014
Head of the Census Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees, Abdul-Nasser Ferwana, stated that high rates of cancer among Palestinian political prisons, held by Israel, could be attributed to nuclear toxic waste Israel buries near several prisons in the Negev Desert, south of the country.
Ferwana said that (%53.7) of the detainees are held in Be’er As-Sabe (Beersheba) Prison, Ramon, Nafha and the Negev detention camp, all located close to the area where Israel buries toxic waste, in the Negev Desert, close to the Dimona Israeli Nuclear Plant.
The former political prisoner also stated that many Israeli Environment Ministers warned Tel Aviv of the dangers resulting from Israel’s toxic waste, its nuclear experiments and research in Dimona, the Oyon Masr (Egypt’s Eyes) Egyptian Paper has reported.
He added that those toxins, and experiments conducted by Israel in areas, close to those detention camps in the Negev, are likely the leading cause of the noticeable increase in cancer, other strange conditions and serious diseases the detainees contract.
There has been numerous reports on the impacts of the Dimona plant on the environment in that area, including various reports about the toxic leaks, while Israel’s daily, Haaretz, has reported back in December of 2011 that 44 employees, and their families, complained the workers are suffering from cancer, as well as many other conditions, resulting from radiation exposure.
Along with three other UN Member States (India, Pakistan and South Sudan), Tel Aviv never signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, therefore it argues that it never broke the treaty as it never signed to start with.
Related
The Guardian -- The truth about Israel's secret nuclear arsenal
Ferwana said that (%53.7) of the detainees are held in Be’er As-Sabe (Beersheba) Prison, Ramon, Nafha and the Negev detention camp, all located close to the area where Israel buries toxic waste, in the Negev Desert, close to the Dimona Israeli Nuclear Plant.
The former political prisoner also stated that many Israeli Environment Ministers warned Tel Aviv of the dangers resulting from Israel’s toxic waste, its nuclear experiments and research in Dimona, the Oyon Masr (Egypt’s Eyes) Egyptian Paper has reported.
He added that those toxins, and experiments conducted by Israel in areas, close to those detention camps in the Negev, are likely the leading cause of the noticeable increase in cancer, other strange conditions and serious diseases the detainees contract.
There has been numerous reports on the impacts of the Dimona plant on the environment in that area, including various reports about the toxic leaks, while Israel’s daily, Haaretz, has reported back in December of 2011 that 44 employees, and their families, complained the workers are suffering from cancer, as well as many other conditions, resulting from radiation exposure.
Along with three other UN Member States (India, Pakistan and South Sudan), Tel Aviv never signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, therefore it argues that it never broke the treaty as it never signed to start with.
Related
The Guardian -- The truth about Israel's secret nuclear arsenal
15 apr 2014
The World Bank will provide $13 million in grant money for environmental projects in the Gaza Strip, a statement said Monday.
According a World Bank statement, the money will go toward providing "long-term solutions to the treatment of sewage and solid waste" in the Strip.
The UN financial institution will grant $10 million to the Gaza Solid Waste Management Project, which "aims to improve the solid waste disposal in the Gaza governorates through the provision of an efficient, socially acceptable and environmentally friendly mechanism."
Meanwhile, $3 million will go to the North Gaza Wastewater Treatment Project, which aims to construct "a modern wastewater treatment plant and the development of a reuse program to irrigate surrounding fields with safely treated effluent."
"Several residential areas have been recurrently flooded with raw sewage causing property damage, injuries and deaths," Steen Jorgensen, World Bank country director for West Bank and Gaza, said in the statement.
"Illegal dumping and burning of waste are common practices across rural and urban areas causing soil, air and water pollution as well as health hazard," Jorgenen said.
"Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are entitled to live in a healthy and clean environment. Proper management of municipal waste is a priority that the World Bank is supporting to avoid negative health and environmental impacts on the well-being of Gaza citizens," he added.
On wastewater treatment, Richard Pollard, World Bank senior water and sanitation specialist, said that "the collapse of sewage ponds at the overloaded Beit Lahiya wastewater treatment plant in northern Gaza in 2007 raised critical questions about the long-term viability of water management systems in the Gaza Strip."
"The groundwater is alarmingly contaminated by leaked sewage. While the project was developed as a response to an emergency acute public health and environmental crisis, the new grant aims to ensure the long term sustainability of the facility," Pollard added.
The Gaza Strip has been under an economic blockade imposed by Israel since 2006.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
According a World Bank statement, the money will go toward providing "long-term solutions to the treatment of sewage and solid waste" in the Strip.
The UN financial institution will grant $10 million to the Gaza Solid Waste Management Project, which "aims to improve the solid waste disposal in the Gaza governorates through the provision of an efficient, socially acceptable and environmentally friendly mechanism."
Meanwhile, $3 million will go to the North Gaza Wastewater Treatment Project, which aims to construct "a modern wastewater treatment plant and the development of a reuse program to irrigate surrounding fields with safely treated effluent."
"Several residential areas have been recurrently flooded with raw sewage causing property damage, injuries and deaths," Steen Jorgensen, World Bank country director for West Bank and Gaza, said in the statement.
"Illegal dumping and burning of waste are common practices across rural and urban areas causing soil, air and water pollution as well as health hazard," Jorgenen said.
"Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are entitled to live in a healthy and clean environment. Proper management of municipal waste is a priority that the World Bank is supporting to avoid negative health and environmental impacts on the well-being of Gaza citizens," he added.
On wastewater treatment, Richard Pollard, World Bank senior water and sanitation specialist, said that "the collapse of sewage ponds at the overloaded Beit Lahiya wastewater treatment plant in northern Gaza in 2007 raised critical questions about the long-term viability of water management systems in the Gaza Strip."
"The groundwater is alarmingly contaminated by leaked sewage. While the project was developed as a response to an emergency acute public health and environmental crisis, the new grant aims to ensure the long term sustainability of the facility," Pollard added.
The Gaza Strip has been under an economic blockade imposed by Israel since 2006.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
11 apr 2014
Israeli civil administration plans to confiscate 180 dunams of Palestinian private lands in the Ein Yabrud and Silwad villages to the north of Ramallah in order to establish a wastewater treatment plant for Ofra settlement, Haaretz reported.
In a report published Wednesday, Haaretz explained that the plant has been under construction since 2007 on 20 dumans but the settlement council decided to expand the area of the plant by confiscating more Palestinian lands.
In a report published Wednesday, Haaretz explained that the plant has been under construction since 2007 on 20 dumans but the settlement council decided to expand the area of the plant by confiscating more Palestinian lands.
9 apr 2014
Israeli settlers from Ariel settlement built on Salfit land continued to steal the city's groundwater while flooding its agricultural lands with the settlement's sewage waters. Researcher Khalid Maali said on Wednesday that Palestinian farmers in the area left their agricultural lands after being continuously flooded with sewage waters by Israeli settlers.
He pointed out that Israeli authorities continued to steal Salfit's groundwater and resources due to the city's important site where it is located over a lake that contains more than three and a half million cubic meters of water.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers from Efrat settlement have flooded Tuesday Palestinian agricultural lands, an area of 8 acres, in Khader town in Bethlehem with sewage water.
The land's owner is no longer able to use his agricultural land or to reap its grape harvest due to the pollution caused by Israeli settlers.
Large Palestinian agricultural lands have been subjected to such attacks, which led to heavy losses to their owners.
He pointed out that Israeli authorities continued to steal Salfit's groundwater and resources due to the city's important site where it is located over a lake that contains more than three and a half million cubic meters of water.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers from Efrat settlement have flooded Tuesday Palestinian agricultural lands, an area of 8 acres, in Khader town in Bethlehem with sewage water.
The land's owner is no longer able to use his agricultural land or to reap its grape harvest due to the pollution caused by Israeli settlers.
Large Palestinian agricultural lands have been subjected to such attacks, which led to heavy losses to their owners.
A number of Israeli settlers from the Efrat settlement, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, flooded Palestinian farmlands in al-Khader town with sewage.
Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in al-Khader, Ahmad Salah, stated that the settlers pumped sewage into eight dunams of Palestinian agricultural lands belonging to resident Mohammad Yacoub Da’doa’, the Radio Bethlehem 2000 has reported.
The attacked lands are close to the Efrat settlement, built on illegally annexed Palestinian lands.
Salah added that this attack will prevent the family from plowing and planting their land, and will not be able to plant grape vines due to the significant degree of contamination.
“Da’doa’ family was preparing for the grape season. They suffered very serious losses,” Salah added. “Those lands cannot be planted any more; this attack was not the first, as the settlers carried out numerous similar attacks against Palestinian lands and orchards in the area.”
Also on Tuesday, soldiers invaded the al-Karkafa area in Bethlehem, and kidnapped Khalil Mousa Zawahra after violently breaking into his home and searching it.
Soldiers also invaded the al-Ehsan Medical Society in Bethlehem after smashing its doors and searching it, causing excessive property damage. They also confiscated computers and documents.
Fanatic settlers in different parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, including occupied Jerusalem are responsible for countless attacks against the Palestinians, their lands and property, in addition to numerous attacks against Islamic and Christian holy sites, and even graveyards.
Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in al-Khader, Ahmad Salah, stated that the settlers pumped sewage into eight dunams of Palestinian agricultural lands belonging to resident Mohammad Yacoub Da’doa’, the Radio Bethlehem 2000 has reported.
The attacked lands are close to the Efrat settlement, built on illegally annexed Palestinian lands.
Salah added that this attack will prevent the family from plowing and planting their land, and will not be able to plant grape vines due to the significant degree of contamination.
“Da’doa’ family was preparing for the grape season. They suffered very serious losses,” Salah added. “Those lands cannot be planted any more; this attack was not the first, as the settlers carried out numerous similar attacks against Palestinian lands and orchards in the area.”
Also on Tuesday, soldiers invaded the al-Karkafa area in Bethlehem, and kidnapped Khalil Mousa Zawahra after violently breaking into his home and searching it.
Soldiers also invaded the al-Ehsan Medical Society in Bethlehem after smashing its doors and searching it, causing excessive property damage. They also confiscated computers and documents.
Fanatic settlers in different parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, including occupied Jerusalem are responsible for countless attacks against the Palestinians, their lands and property, in addition to numerous attacks against Islamic and Christian holy sites, and even graveyards.
21 feb 2014
An agreement Thursday reached to form a Palestinian-Israeli team to address common environmental issues between the two sides, said Israel Radio.
According to the radio, a meeting was held between the Israeli Minister of Environmental Protection, Amir Peretz and Deputy Head of Environmental Department Jamal Mtour agreed to form a team to meet every month to discuss solutions to the biggest ecological problems facing the region today.
Topics discussed included preventing pollution, alternative solutions to waste management, and facing potential health hazards if industrialization increases in the area.
According to the radio, a meeting was held between the Israeli Minister of Environmental Protection, Amir Peretz and Deputy Head of Environmental Department Jamal Mtour agreed to form a team to meet every month to discuss solutions to the biggest ecological problems facing the region today.
Topics discussed included preventing pollution, alternative solutions to waste management, and facing potential health hazards if industrialization increases in the area.