US embassy cable - 04TELAVIV6442

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006442 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA, NEA/REA, AND NEA/IPA 
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2014 
TAGS: IS, KPAL, KWBG, PGOV, PREL, SENV, ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
SUBJECT: ISRAELI MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT WANTS TO REENGAGE 
WITH PALESTINIAN COUNTERPARTS 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 5567 
 
Classified By: Economic Counselor William Weinstein, reasons 1.4 (b) an 
d (d). 
 
This is a joint Embassy Tel Aviv - Consulate General 
Jerusalem message. 
 
1. (C) Summary:  GOI Environment Ministry officials hope that 
the USG and/or UNEP can help them reengage with their 
Palestinian counterparts to address pressing environmental 
issues.  MoE provided a list of action items they consider 
the most feasible from a longer list of UNEP Desk Study 
recommendations.  UNEP is working to reactivate earlier 
Israeli-Palestinian environmental consultations.  Embassy and 
Consulate General will encourage the parties to meet 
following the January 9 Palestinian presidential election. 
End Summary. 
 
2. (C) Ministry of Environment Director General Miki Haran 
told visiting NEA Senior S&T Advisor Charles Lawson in a 
meeting at MoE on December 6 that her ministry wants to 
reengage with its Palestinian counterparts.  MoE subsequently 
provided ESTH Officer with its updated list of "low-hanging 
fruit," a subset of the recommendations of the UN Environment 
Programme Desk Study on the Environment in the Occupied 
Palestinian Territories.  The list represents the Desk Study 
recommendations MoE considers most feasible.  The document 
MoE provided highlighted in bold letters the recommendation 
to reactivate the Joint Environmental Experts Committee 
established by the Oslo agreements.  MoE's list follows at 
end of this message.  Haran said she hoped USG and/or UNEP 
could help facilitate meetings and a dialogue on 
environmental issues. 
 
3. (C) UNEP Post-Conflict Assessment Unit Project Coordinator 
Aniket Ghai visited Embassy December 14 and told ESTH Officer 
that he and UNEP Executor Director Klaus Toepfer met in Cairo 
the previous week with Palestinian Environmental Quality 
Authority head Abu Safiyeh to discuss progress under the Desk 
Study.  Ghai said Abu Safiyeh was pleased with the UNEP 
process and wanted to see it continue.  Abu Safiyeh said he 
did not object to meeting with his Israeli counterparts, "but 
the time has to be right." 
 
4. (C) Comment:  Both Israelis and Palestinians have suffered 
from a dearth of dialogue and cooperation on environmental 
issues.  UNEP is urging both sides to resume consultations on 
environmental issues.  Embassy and Consulate General will 
also work to bring both sides together following the January 
9 election, preferably at the ministerial level initially, 
but at the technical level if that is not possible in the 
short term.  Septel will report on the Israeli MoE's internal 
deliberations on environmental issues related to Gaza 
disengagement.  End comment. 
 
5. (C) The GOI MoE updated list of most readily achievable 
recommendations from the UNEP Desk Study follows.  The 
numbers preceding each recommendation are keyed to the full 
list of 136 recommendations contained in the January 2003 
Desk Study. 
 
Begin MoE list: 
 
"Low-Hanging Fruit" from UNEP Desk Study Recommendations 
(listed according to the number of the recommendation, not in 
order of priority) 
 
1. Keep environment out of the conflict. 
2. Reactivate the Joint EEC established by the Oslo 
agreements. 
3. Build on regional solutions. 
4. Revitalize the cross-border cooperation between 
environmental authorities, experts, scientists and NGO's. 
8. The international community and donors should support 
sustainable development and environmental cooperation. 
10. Develop environmental cooperation as a confidence 
building tool. 
18. Improve the controlling capacity of the EQA. 
20. Strengthen the enforcement of environmental laws. 
22. Take environmental considerations into account in 
land-use planning. 
23. Encourage NGO cooperation between Palestinians and 
Israelis. 
25. Open an environmental dialogue with the private sector. 
66. Strengthen the role of the EQA in the waste sector. 
67. Improve donor coordination in the waste sector. 
68. Re-establish Israeli-Palestinian waste cooperation. 
69. Separate hazardous and non-hazardous waste. 
72. Improve collection of wastes. 
74. Stop the open burning of waste. 
76. Recycle metal, glass and other materials. 
77. Introduce composting. 
92. Envisage cross-border cooperation in waste collection and 
treatment. 
100. Adopt a regional approach to the treatment of hazardous 
waste. 
106. Launch public awareness campaigns. 
110. Establish a collection system for used oil. 
113. Set up a pilot project for medical waste management. 
114. Set up a pilot project for the recycling of tires. 
115. Organize a workshop on capacity building. 
122. Enhance the protection of migratory species. 
126. Restart capacity-building activities on conservation 
management. 
132. Improve solid waste management. 
135. Improve coastal zone management. 
End of MoE "Low-hanging Fruit" list. 
 
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KURTZER