News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) A bill by Ophir Pines-Paz and a group of other Knesset members to reduce the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is scheduled to come up for discussion in the Israeli parliament this week, but Pines-Paz charges that Environment Minister Gilad Erdan and other members of the ministerial legislation committee oppose it.

In spite of instructions issued by the government last week to the Israel Electric Company to reduce gas emissions at the Hadera power plant, Pines-Paz said, "Ahead of the United Nations conference in Copenhagen, it's not clear why the government is deciding to hinder every attempt for progress in the environmental field...At least they could say they are beginning to organize legislation on the matter." The head of the Knesset's socio-environmental lobby concluded, "In spite of nice talk by the prime minister and other ministers, the government strengthens our stance on the environment as that of a third-world country."