Tel Aviv — Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister, Gilad Erdan, has sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requesting that a public committee be established to review policies pertaining to the country’s use of resources. The proposed committee will review the royalties paid to the state of Israel by Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL) and other companies for potash, phosphates, and other minerals. In addition, the committee would review the environmental impact of the various companies’ operations. Erdan’s request for the establishment of the committee followed the government’s approval of a deal with ICL for increased royalties and the company’s agreement to cover a majority of the cost of harvesting the salt in its ponds at the Dead Sea in order to prevent the flooding of hotels in the region. In addition, on February 12 the Israeli government approved a compromise agreement with the Tourism and Environmental Protection Ministries that will allow for the implementation of the agreement between the state and ICL. Under the terms of the agreement, the Finance Ministry has agreed to allocate $250 million over the next five years for rehabilitation of the Dead Sea.
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