The Tekoa Stream, which runs through Gush Etzion, was polluted on Friday by fluids from the cesspool at the Palestinian Authority al-Maniya sanitation dump after the south-eastern part of the dump collapsed, causing an environmental hazard that has not been seen in years.
Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Yaron Rosenthal who arrived at the scene immediately after the incident estimated that thousands of cubic meters of sewage ran into the Tekoa Stream and from there into the Judean Desert. "It's a difficult sight and there's a lot of damage. The residents of Ma'ale Amos, Ibei HaNahal, and Tekoa will suffer from the dangerous pollution, and animals and plants will be seriously harmed."
Rosenthal promised the residents of eastern Gush Etzion that he would demand that the Israeli government take responsibility for the severe environmental hazards in the Gush Etzion area.
"We will continue the legal process against the operations of the al-Maniya dump, which embitters the lives of the area's residents. This is a reminder of that, that we can't let the Palestinians create an incineration site near Neve Daniel, in an area that is lawless when it comes to environmental protection," he stated.