West Bank Village of Yaabad Deals with Industrial Pollution

yaabadWhen we wrote about the new Herbawi Home Center in Jenin earlier this year, we wondered if it would bring suburban living to the West Bank. Another change is afoot this month in the  town of Ya’abad, west of Jenin, reports the Maan News Agency. With most of the town’s 8,000 residents working in wood-coal, the workshops that heat wood release pollution that gives locals respiratory illness at rates double those of surrounding villages. (Left, a workshop in Ya’abad).

Maan writes:

“Not only is the industry non-sustainable, it is contaminating the groundwater and destroying the green forest that gives shelter to the town, and once provided a hideout for Sheikh Izz Addin Al-Qassam, the leader of 1930s revolution, and namesake for Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades.”

One Yaabad resident told Ma’an that the factories’ pollution is “so bad that if you hang up your clothes outside at night, the next morning they will be so grey and rank that you will not be able to wear them.”

At the same time, those Ya’abad residents who work in coal production said it provides a handsome income of 5000 shekels a month ($1350). A 22-year-old coal worker, Yasser Abu-Baker, said ““We benefit from this career, our community benefits, and all of Palestine benefits because we can produce all the wood coal the country needs up here.”

Ya’abad Mayor Walid Al-Abbady said that the only solution is to move the workshops outside of town, which helped Egyptian wood-coal manufacturers to work safely. However, he says, Israeli control of the West Bank is thwarting such a move because it would require construction outside of city limits and in Area C, the part of the West Bank under full Israeli control since Oslo. Now Ya’abad is leaning on the Palestinian Authority to help make the change.

::Photo from Maan News

Daniella Cheslow
Daniella Cheslowhttp://www.greenprophet.com
Daniella Cheslow grew up in a car-dependent suburb in New Jersey, where she noticed strip malls and Wal-Marts slowly replacing farmland. Her introduction to nature came through hiking trips in Israel. As a counselor for a freshman backpacking program at Northwestern University, Daniella noticed that Americans outdoors seemed to need to arm themselves with performance clothing, specialized water bottles and sophisticated camping silverware. This made her think about how to interact with and enjoy nature simply. This year, Daniella is getting a Master’s in Geography from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. She also freelance writes, photographs and podcasts. In her free time, she takes day trips in the desert, drops off compost and cooks local foods like stuffed zucchini, kubbeh and majadara. Daniella gets her peak oil anxiety from James Howard Kunstler and her organic food dreams from Michael Pollan. Read more at her blog, TheTruthHerzl.com. Daniella can be reached at daniella (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
6 COMMENTS
  1. Sir,
    The deforestation is one of the great sin . Because it not only changes the climate, and also the ground water depletion in the area. Hence this should be avoided as much as ossible. Now a days rain as beome scanty, and also frequent rains are also appearing very less. Hence the recharge of the ground water is very less.
    The deforestation takes care for the ground water control and pollution. Hence to solve this problem we should make a strict rules to follow.
    Thanking you for gibving the opportunity to discusss. I welcome ground water problems , and to solve them I will help them plese do discuss with me in future.
    Thanking you,
    Yours sincerly, (Seeram.G.Dathathreya).

Comments are closed.

TRENDING

Eco organization offices destroyed by Iran missile

Tel Aviv's eco organization, the Heschel Center, was impacted by an Iranian missile.

What are AWG air-water generators, and why they aren’t a golden-bullet solution (yet)

Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) sound like magic: machines that can pull drinking water out of air. The idea is mentioned in the Bible, where the elders would pray for water collected as dew on plants and the catch on turning this into a machine is in the physics. To turn invisible vapor into liquid, you must remove heat, especially the latent heat of condensation.

Jordan’s $6 Billion Aqaba–Amman Desalination Project from the Red Sea Moves Forward

In 2025, the Jordanian government signed agreements with a consortium led by Meridiam and SUEZ, alongside VINCI Construction and Orascom Construction. Under a 30-year concession agreement, the consortium will design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the system before transferring it back to the Jordanian government. The total investment is estimated at approximately $6 billion USD.

What Makes Artificial Turf Like AstroTurf Safe? University Research and Independent Testing Reveal Key Factors

A comprehensive analysis published by AstroTurf experts on turf field safety identifies several critical factors that separate premium synthetic surfaces from standard installations.

Endangered sperm whale washes ashore in southern Israel

A large sperm whale has washed ashore on Zikim Beach in southern Israel, marking only the eighth documented case of its kind along the country’s Mediterranean coast since monitoring began.

How AI Helps SaaS Companies Reduce Repetitive Customer Support Work

SaaS products are designed for large numbers of users with different levels of experience, and also in renewable energy.

Pulling Water from the Air

Faced with water shortage in Amman, Laurie digs up...

Turning Your Energy Consultancy into an LLC: 4 Legal Steps for Founders in Texas

If you are starting a renewable energy business in Texas, learn how to start an LLC by the books.

Tracking the Impacts of a Hydroelectric Dam Along the Tigris River

For the next two months, I'll be taking a break from my usual Green Prophet posts to report on a transnational environmental issue: the Ilısu Dam currently under construction in Turkey, and the ways it will transform life along the Tigris River.

6 Payment Processors With the Fastest Onboarding for SMBs

Get your SMB up and running fast with these 6 payment processors. Compare the quickest onboarding options to start accepting customer payments without delay.

Qatar’s climate hypocrisy rides the London Underground

Qatar remains a master of doublethink—burning gas by the megaton while selling “sustainability” to a world desperate for clean air. Wake up from your slumber people.

How Quality of Hire Shapes Modern Recruitment

A 2024 survey by Deloitte found that 76% of talent leaders now consider long-term retention and workforce contribution among their most important hiring success metrics—far surpassing time-to-fill or cost-per-hire. As the expectations for new hires deepen, companies must also confront the inherent challenges in redefining and accurately measuring hiring quality.

8 Team-Building Exercises to Start the Week Off 

Team building to change the world! The best renewable energy companies are ones that function.

Related Articles

Popular Categories