The Ministry of the Environment

Total Budget: 198.6 Million NIS

Number of Employees: 400

Number of Employees who are Arab citizens: 10 → 2.5%

Issues:

1. Environmental Units

· The first active environmental unit within the Arab municipalities was established in 1994. Today there are 35 environmental units, with a total budget for 1999 of 6.15 million NIS. Seven units (20%) are active within the Arab municipalities, and their total budget for 1999 was 1.24 million NIS (20%).

· Environmental unit budgets are jointly allocated by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of the Interior. Until 1998, the Ministry of the Interior also financed the local municipalities’ portion for maintaining the environmental units within their jurisdiction.

· In 1998, the Ministry of the Interior ceased to finance the Arab municipalities’ portion, and they were forced to continue to finance the units from their own budget. This situation exists in Um El Fahm and Nazareth. The southern environmental unit transferred its offices from Be’er-Sheva to Tel-Sheva, and as a result the Tel-Sheva local municipality assists in the unit’s administrative expenses.

2. Waste Management Infrastructures

♦ Waste management infrastructures within the Arab municipalities’ jurisdiction are not

sufficiently developed. Many of the garbage dumps in Israel are located within the

Arab local municipalities’ jurisdiction, yet much of the waste comes from outside the

local municipalities. The situation is further deteriorated by the unequal apportioning

of the budgetary “pie”.

♦ Despite this data, in 1999 the allocation for this matter was only 189,000 NIS out of

1,989,000 NIS, which represents only 9.5% of the infrastructure budget.

Waste Management Infrastructure Budget for the Arab Municipalities (in percentages)

Budget 1998 Budget 1999

3. Education and Dissemination of Information

During the past 25 years, extensive knowledge has been amassed in the field of improving the quality of life and the environment. The conclusion is that there is a direct co-relation between information and public awareness regarding improving the quality of life and the environment and its attainment.

With regard to the environment, Israel is ranked among the developing countries and here, too, Arab citizens have been left behind. An additional conclusion from the knowledge amassed is that education of adolescents on matters of environmental quality is very effective and vital for general awareness of the topic.

· A primary channel for adolescent education is through the Council of Youth Movements. The Council of Youth Movements receives a budget of 150,000 NIS for environmental quality awareness education. The Arabic youth movements are not members of this council, and receive only a budget of 10,000 NIS (6.2%)

· Another vital channel for environmental education is through the environmental units. In 1998 four of the seven education supervisors in the environmental units operating in the Arab communities resigned, and to date they have not been replaced. As a result, no allocations were made to the environmental units for educational purposes.

The subject of environmental quality sharply accentuates the difficult situation of Arabs in Israel, because it emphasizes three of the major deficiencies in the lives of these citizens: infrastructures, day to day administration, and education.

The infrastructures (sewage, water, electricity, roads) do not allow for improved levels in the environment and quality of life, because they are dependent on municipal planning schemes and orderly designation of areas for industry and trade. Recycling and hazardous waste disposal is of vital local and regional significance for the health of the residents.

Solid and toxic waste dumps, adjacent to residential areas, represent a health hazard and cause serious environmental distress.

In day to day administration, the municipality is weak and the residents are alienated from it. The municipality is unable to handle the various matters related to environmental quality on its own, and requires considerable assistance.

Education, more than anything, gives expression to the weak link with the local, regional and national organizational system.

This feeling of strong alienation has a trickle down effect with regard to environmental issues. Preserving the environment requires positive and reciprocal interaction between the three previously mentioned elements. This interaction is contingent on feeling connected to external systems, especially the State. It is within the Ministry of the Environment’s power to take action that will go well beyond concern for environmental quality, and will reflect the civic attitude of the governing authorities.