For Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, lack of infrastructure is a big obstacle for protecting the environment. Old and malfunctioning infrastructure (or often none at all!) for properly managing things like solid waste and sewage is a major threat to the Palestinian (and Israeli!) environment.
Luckily, however, the European Union announced earlier this week that they awarded 5.2 million Euros to the Palestinian Authority help improve solid waste infrastructure, and therefore help keep the environment healthy and clean.
The donation will go to 26 municipalities in eleven different Palestinian governorate, which were marked as those most urgently needing support for the solid waste management. The money will go towards the procurement of garbage collection vehicles, containers, and equipment to help manage dumpsites properly, and will be managed by the Palestinian Ministry of Local Government.
Both Eng. Ziad Al Bandak, the Palestinian Minister of Local Government and Mr. John Kjaer, the European Commission Representative in Jerusalem, stress that this financing is important not only because of its environmental protection value, but also because it will help strengthen local ability to deal with these issues. Mr. Kjaer commented,
“Environmental considerations are of great concern in an area as small and densely populated as the occupied Palestinian territory. This European Union contribution will significantly enhance the capacity of the local authorities to provide a cleaner and safer environment for the residents in these areas.”
This project is part of the EU’s ongoing program of infrastructure development assistance to the Palestinian people. This year, they committed 67 million Euros to supporting projects the Palestinian Authority identified as top-priority.
Photo Credit: thameen
Check out the following Prophecies for more on environment and development in the Palestinian Territories: Bustan Qaraaqa: Permaculture and Empowerment in the West Bank or Palestinian Eco-Activism is on the Rise
Author: Rachel Bergstein
When her vegan summer camp counselor explained to a fifteen-year-old Rachel how the dairy industry pollutes the groundwater in poor rural communities and causes global warming, there was no turning back. Her green fire lit, Rachel became increasingly passionate about the relationship between human societies and the natural environment, particularly about the systemic injustices associated with environmental degradation. After snagging a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies at the University of Maryland, where she wrote an undergraduate thesis on water injustice in Israel/Palestine and South Africa, Rachel was awarded the New Israel Fund/Shatil’s Rabbi Richard J. Israel Social Justice Fellowship to come and spread the green gospel in Israel for the 2009-2010 academic year. She currently interns for Friends of the Earth Middle East in their Tel Aviv office. When Rachel is not having anxiety about her ecological footprint, carbon and otherwise, she can be found in hot pursuit of the best vegetarian food Tel Aviv has to offer. She also blogs about her experience as an NIF fellow and environmentalist in Israel at organichummus.wordpress.com. Rachel can be reached at rachelbergstein (at) gmail (dot) com.
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