The Israeli government has voted to abolish the Environment Ministry’s zero risk policy on oil transport through the Gulf of Eilat.
Only the current Minister of Environment, Idit Silman, and two former Ministers of Environment, Gila Gamliel and Ze’ev Elkin, voted against the decision.
This decision will unblock the implementation of the deal to transport oil from the Persian Gulf to Europe via the Eilat-Ashkelon oil pipeline, signed back in 2021 between the pipeline operator, the state-owned company KCAA, and a state-owned company from the UAE.
As part of the deal, the number of tankers calling at the port of Eilat is expected to increase from 5 per year to 90 per year over the next 15 years, significantly increasing the likelihood of oil leaks in the Gulf of Eilat. The Ministry of Environment insists that before the deal is implemented, additional measures must be taken in the event of an environmental disaster, and first of all, to protect the Eilat coral reef. Measures include the purchase of equipment to monitor the situation in the Gulf of Eilat, conducting an analysis of risk factors, ensuring rapid response capabilities, etc.