A Be'er Sheva court Wednesday ruled in favor of environmentalists and ordered a temporary halt to the construction of a huge new training base in the Negev. The court will discuss the case next week.
The site is located approximately 10 kilometers (six miles) from an industrial area. The Israel Union for Environmental Defense petitioned the court, arguing that there is no guarantee that the soldiers at the new base will not be protected from nearby industrial pollution. Concern also has been expressed for nearby Bedouin, most of whom live in illegal houses located in unlawful villages, which the government calls "unrecognized."