Page 17 - DMEA Week 38 2021

DMEA NEWS IN BRIEF DMEA

“Since the establishment of the state, Israel groups and Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Bolstering their campaign in January was a
has been dealing with the Arab boycott and Protection. The Eilat oil terminal is roughly letter signed by 231 scientists from Israel and
its consequences,” EAPC said in a statement. 200 yards from coral beaches. While those abroad warning of the risks to Eilat’s coral and
“These agreements are, in fact, the practical favouring the deal focus on its geo-strategic urging the Israeli government to prevent the
expression of improving relations between the importance, opponents say it poses an agreement from going through.
State of Israel and the Gulf states.” unacceptable risk to the coral reefs. On May 4, three Israeli environmental
Then-US Treasury Secretary Steven One of the earliest critics was groups petitioned the Supreme Court for a
Mnuchin, who was present at the signing, environmentalist group Zalul, which issued a temporary injunction to freeze the agreement,
called it a “significant breakthrough that statement immediately after the October 2020 arguing that the deal was conducted in secret
was made possible thanks to the Abraham signing, calling the intention to bring more oil and that the EAPC, “which presumably
Accords,” the normalisation treaty signed tankers to Eilat “a mortal danger.” anticipated opposition to the agreement,
between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Zalul then organised a coalition of 20 chose to hide it, both from the public and
Bahrain a month earlier. green groups to fight what they termed “the from the government itself.”
But the agreement has encountered transformation of Eilat and Ashkelon into oil JNS
growing opposition from environmentalist cities.”

Week 38 23•September•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P17