Israeli disengagement from Gaza environmentally clean, can serve as model – UN
Israel’s disengagement from Gaza last year was by and large environmentally clean, providing important lessons for possible further disengagements in the West Bank and offering a potential bridge-building element in a region torn by conflict, according to a United Nations report released today.
“The general clean bill of health on this aspect of Gaza’s environment is welcome news for everyone concerned with the environment, long term stability and economic progress of the region,” UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said of the report – Environmental Assessment of the Areas disengaged by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
“The assessment not only provides the necessary foundation for future social and economic development in Gaza, it also demonstrates how environmental cooperation can be a positive tool in the peace process,” Mr. Toepfer added, noting that it was being issued at a time when intensive political discussion is underway to resolve the challenging problems in the region.
“It is my sincere hope that cooperation on environment can serve as a confidence building tool between the parties,” he said of the report, which found that the environmental impact of the former Israeli settlements in the Gaza strip was limited and should not constrain Palestinian land-use plans.
“Any further Israeli pull-outs from the West Bank now have an important ecological benchmark by which they can be judged,” he said.
Other than some localized pollution and issues associated with asbestos, the assessment did not find contamination of water, land or buildings that poses a significant risk to the environment or public health. As long as recommendations concerned with the necessary clean-up are implemented, there are no environmental constraints to Palestinian settlement in the area.
The removal and disposal of rubble remains a major activity to be undertaken prior to large-scale resettlement in the areas concerned, the report noted, adding that issues associated with asbestos need to be handled carefully so as not to expose workers to unnecessary harm.
The report also located a number of unlined dumpsites, mostly receiving household and agricultural wastes, sometimes in old quarries, and recommended that their use be restricted pending further investigation and risk assessment.