Environment Minister Criticized as OECD Assessment

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000676

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/ENV, EEB/EPPD AND NEA/IPA
AMMAN FOR ESTH - BHALLA
EPA for International - S. Fulton

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG TBIO IS
SUBJECT: Environment Minister Criticized as OECD Assessment
Approaches

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REF: (A) 08 TEL AVIV 195 (B) 08 TEL AVIV 2201


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Outgoing Environment Minister Gideon Ezra was
given a failing grade by the Israeli environmental NGO community in
a review of his three year tenure. He sided with the government
against policy choices endorsed by his own ministry staff, weakened
rather than strengthened environmental protection legislation, and
saw his ministry's budget cut to its lowest level in the past
decade. This criticism coincided with a visiting OECD team
evaluating Israel's handling of chemicals and its environmental
preparedness for OECD accession, raising questions about Israel's
compliance actions taken to date. Comment: Post believes the March
and June OECD visits will be crucial in energizing the GOI to
undertake needed environmental protection reforms. End Summary.


2. (U) Gideon Ezra received poor marks for his stewardship of the
ministry and Israel's environment from local NGOs. They
acknowledged that although his defense sector background gave him
little in the way of background on environmental issues, he did
study his new brief seriously and keep an open door. However, they
term his tenure as one of lost opportunities and slow progress.
Professor Alon Tal of Ben Gurion University claimed that Ezra's
policies on air pollution failed, especially given the spotlight
placed on this issue in recent years. Enforcement was poor, with
factories polluting the Haifa Bay area escaping serious sanctions.
"It is impossible to point to improvements... in air quality
regarding harm to public health," said the head of the Israel Union
for Environmental Defense. The minister's opposition to the Clean
Air Act legislation, due to his budget constraints, appalled
environmental defense groups. The Society for the Protection of
Nature in Israel (SPNI) criticized Ezra for backing the GOI's
settlement policy in the Negev and ecologically sensitive areas
despite its sometimes deleterious environmental impact. It also
faulted him for the Ministry's failure to pursue levies due the
government for wastewater dumping in the Mediterranean - monies that
were supposed to fund rehabilitation efforts along the shoreline. In
brief, his critics claim that he failed to exercise the type of
strong leadership that the sector needs.


3. (U) Ezra defended his record at an end-of-tenure press
conference, and pointed to the accomplishments of recent years.
Among those he mentioned were legislative measures levying new taxes
on landfills, imposing tighter regulation on construction and
demolition waste to curb illegal dumping, and regulating ground
contamination. Although it will not take effect until 2011, Ezra
also claimed that the Clean Air legislation was an achievement. He
noted that he and his ministry worked to make government contracts
more "green," thus capitalizing on the clout of government spending
in the economy. As the Israeli military uses about 50 percent of
the country's land area, he termed as very important the recent
efforts to increase the environmental awareness of IDF officers
through new training programs. Ezra also cited new regulations
tightening the import and export of hazardous materials and
agreements to rehabilitate parts of Ramat Hovav, Israel's sole
hazmat processing industrial park as significant accomplishments.


4. (SBU) The debate over environmental progress coincided
uncomfortably with the start of a mission from the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on March 15 to evaluate
Israel's chemicals management. The delegation, headed by Rob Visser,
Deputy Director of the Environment Directorate of the OECD, came in
the context of Israel's accession process to the OECD. It will
assess Israel's willingness and ability to implement
OECD-recommended standards related to chemicals. These standards
include transparency in the chemicals management system and
requirements on the reduction of risks to humans and the environment
as a result of the production, use, and disposal of chemicals,
including preparedness for both industrial and defense-related
hazardous substances accidents. Within the framework of its
accession process, Israel submitted its Initial Memorandum to the
OECD in July 2008. The memorandum specified the extent of Israel's
acceptance of the obligations resulting from each of the OECD's
relevant legal instruments and the compatibility of Israeli
legislation and policies with these obligations.


5. (SBU) During the visit, members of the Chemicals Mission will
hold discussions with representatives of the Ministry of
Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Labor
and others to hear about Israel's preparations for fulfilling OECD
chemicals management requirements. Key among the subjects to be
discussed are the establishment of a chemicals licening and control
mechanism, the assimilation of itegrated pollution prevention and


control (IPPC) principles in industrial plants, and the
establishment of a pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR).
Gaps in Israeli policy will be clarified. Besides talking with the
GOI, the OECD team will meet representatives of the Israel
Manufacturers' Association and environmental NGOs. Following the
meetings OECD officials will tour several of Israel's hazmat
hotpoint sites, including Ramat Hovav.


6. (SBU) Comment: Post believes that the present OECD team visit
will play a critical role in laying out to the GOI the reforms
needed to smooth the route to accession vis-a-vis the environmental
criteria. Their scheduled return visit in June to evaluate progress
- just prior to a Paris meeting on the accession - will help focus
the new Israeli government on the issue. The degree to which
Israel's new government undertakes the necessary reforms will test
the depth of its commitment to the OECD process and the strength and
political savvy of the new environment minister as s/he takes over
what is considered to be one of the most junior ministries in the
cabinet.

Cunningham