Environmental advocates applauded the government’s decision on Wednesday to retract a controversial plan to boost crude oil imports through the southern port of Eilat.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Energy Minister Eli Cohen, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, and Regional Cooperation Minister Dudi Amsalem agreed to withdraw a proposed policy change from the agenda. The revised approach allows the Eilat oil port, operated by the state-owned Europe Asia Pipeline Company (EAPC), to maintain its current operations without increasing oil imports.
Under the new plan, Silman will review any EAPC requests for increased oil quotas within the next 60 days. Additionally, the EAPC will be required to submit an updated environmental risk assessment within six months.
The initial proposal, circulated in draft form to government ministries last month, aimed to overturn the Environmental Protection Ministry’s 2021 policy of “zero additional risk” for the Gulf of Eilat. This policy had previously set a cap of two million tons (approximately 14.6 million barrels) of oil imports annually to mitigate the risk of environmental contamination.
Eilat, located on the Red Sea, is renowned for its vital coral reefs, which are central to the city’s tourism sector. The policy’s cap was designed to protect these reefs from potential damage caused by oil spills.
In a statement, the coalition of environmental and public health organizations, along with local authorities opposing the increase, commended Silman and other officials for resisting pressure from the EAPC. They criticized the company’s efforts to double the oil volumes transported through the Gulf of Eilat, Ashkelon, and the Negev, arguing that such a move would benefit the EAPC’s profits rather than the Israeli economy.
Opponents highlighted the risks an increased oil flow would pose to the environment, public health, tourism, and desalination plants along the shoreline.
The EAPC, which operates pipelines between Eilat and Ashkelon on the Mediterranean coast, declined to comment on the decision. The company had previously signed a 2020 memorandum of understanding with MED-RED Land Bridge, a joint venture between Israeli and Emirati firms, to transport Gulf oil to Europe via Israel.
In 2021, the Environmental Protection Ministry enacted its “zero additional risk” policy after rejecting two EAPC environmental risk surveys. Since then, the EAPC has been lobbying to overturn this policy and increase oil imports.
The EAPC has faced criticism for its environmental record, notably for a 2014 incident in which a pipeline leak resulted in the largest environmental disaster in Israel’s history. The spill, which released approximately 5 million liters (1.32 million US gallons) of crude oil, contaminated 36 acres of seasonal water channels in the Evrona Nature Reserve north of Eilat.
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