Tel Aviv—The Knesset Economics Committee has come out strongly against plans to mine phosphates at Sde Barir near Arad in southern Israel. Committee Chairman Eitan Cable said he would do everything possible to prevent mining operations at the site. Knesset Member Tamar Zandberg said the government support for the project was due to intense lobbying by Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL), and did not take into account the health and environmental issues. The committee also heard from ICL Rotem Amfert Deputy Director for Ecology Uri Yassur, who defended the National Planning Commission’s decision to permit mining operations (GM Dec. 7, 2015), stating that he has lived in Arad for 30 years and is very familiar with all of the data regarding impact of phosphate mining on health. He added there is no substantive proof that there is any impact. The head of the Natural Resources Administration in the Energy and Water Ministry said that mining operations at Sde Barir are still several years off, and that in any case a detailed environmental impact survey would be submitted before any mining operations commenced. ICL has made it clear that it will be forced to shut down its fertilizer operations in Israel unless the Sde Barir mining project is implemented.
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