MK Tzvi Succot visited Shoham last night (Tuesday) following residents' complaints about heavy smoke harming their quality of life.
According to the council's reports, the phenomenon originates from waste fires set by residents in the PA village of Ni'lin, producing smoke clouds that reach the community's homes.
During a meeting with council head Daphna Rabinovich and council CEO Dina Fromovitz, Succot received a comprehensive briefing on accumulated reports and on the ongoing disruption to daily life for many families.
Rabinovich described to him the extent of the impact on daily life and said that the phenomenon is ongoing, occurring almost every evening. Fromovitz added that the council is monitoring the events and is compiling documentation of cases in which smoke covers large parts of the community.
At the end of the meeting, Succot made clear that he does not intend to be satisfied with reports alone. Accompanied by the governor, he reached a secured meeting point where a pre-arranged armored vehicle was waiting for him. A significant military force escorted MK Succot and the governor to the waste site itself.
During the tour, the two observed large piles of waste spread over a wide area. In some locations there were active fires emitting thick smoke that, according to council sources, is the same smoke reaching Shoham.
On site, Succot said the situation he witnessed cannot continue. He said that next Thursday he will open a dedicated discussion in the Knesset in the committee he chairs on the matter, and will demand that the responsible authorities provide immediate and orderly handling of the waste fires. Succot emphasized that residents of Shoham, Modi'in, Rosh HaAyin and the surrounding region should not have to live under recurring clouds of smoke and that he is closely monitoring the actions to be taken on the ground.
Rabinovich thanked Succot for the visit and for the decision to go down to the site himself. She said that direct exposure to the burning sites is important to advancing the necessary intervention and that the council expects the discussion Succot will convene to bring real progress in dealing with the phenomenon that has long harmed residents of the entire area.