The Southern District Attorney's Office, together with the Civil Enforcement Unit of the State Prosecutor's Office, has filed a motion for the approval of a class action in the Be'er Sheva District Court against Rotem Amfert Negev Limited, Israel Chemicals Ltd. and against six senior officers of these companies, in connection with the Ashalim stream pollution incident of last June.
The state is seeking to charge the polluters 397 million shekels in compensation for environmental and ecological damage, including the need to rehabilitate the stream, which is estimated at NIS 202 million. The suit was filed in the name of the Nature and National Parks Authority, with the assistance of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The State Attorney's Office filed an application to delete the motions for approval of additional class actions filed by private parties, and to instruct that the Nature and National Parks authority is the most appropriate entity to be the plaintiff.