This is what the Defense Minister’s “emergency plan” will look like

In recent days, the public debate surrounding the phenomenon of waste fires in Judea and Samaria has increased, which, according to professional sources, causes continuous damage to the quality of the environment, the quality of life and the health of residents in Shoham and other localities in the area. In recent months, residents have been reporting pungent smells, heavy smoke and fear of exposure to toxic and polluting substances, against the backdrop of recurring uncontrolled waste fires.

Against the background of the developments, an emergency discussion was held today (Thursday) with the participation of Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, together with the heads of authorities, representatives of the Ministry of Health, the defense system and enforcement agents. During the discussion, a picture of the situation was presented, according to which this is a much wider and more serious phenomenon than described so far, which constitutes a serious and ongoing damage to public health.

At the end of the discussion, the ministers decided to define the phenomenon of waste fires as a threat to national security, and to announce the preparation of a national emergency plan to immediately and long-term deal with the threat. The program will be operated in an inter-organizational format and led by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance, the local authorities and the enforcement and security agencies.

Among the steps that were decided upon: the promotion of administrative tools through general orders for the confiscation and permanent confiscation of Palestinian waste trucks, the allocation of budgets for the recruitment of contractors and heavy equipment from the private sector for the purpose of extinguishing fires and removing waste, inter-organizational enforcement activities, and the establishment of a waste disposal site in central Judea and Samaria that will respond to fires in the area.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he will not allow the residents of the communities near the seam line to continue inhaling smoke that poisons and harms health, and emphasized that the state sees this phenomenon as a national problem that will be dealt with by security, civilian and enforcement tools. According to him, the IDF and the security forces will contribute to solving the problem, and the measures that have been established are intended to stop the phenomenon and prevent harm to the residents.

Finance Minister and Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that this is “environmental terrorism”, and added that when Judea and Samaria become the backyard of the State of Israel – the one who is harmed is the entire public. According to him, the state will work to eradicate the phenomenon through enforcement, disposal of waste, fines and establishing alternatives to evacuation, while imposing the costs on the Palestinian Authority.

Haim Bibbs, chairman of the local government center and mayor of Modi’in-Maccabim-Reot, said that the decisions made at the hearing define for the first time the burning of waste as a threat to Israel’s national security. According to him, “a budgeted operative plan was presented with clear powers that will be launched immediately, after years of continuous failure that harmed the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of residents.”