The mayor of Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, orders the closure of five petrochemical plants following a Health Ministry warning linking high cancer rates to air pollution.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav further says that municipality trucks were blocking the entrances to Israel Oil Refineries and Petroleum & Energy Infrastructures, both of which are based on the bay in the northern port city.
Mayor Yona Yahav blocks the roads to Haifa factories, like the one pictured above, Sunday. April 19, in an effort to curb pollution in the port city. (Photo credit: Basel Awidat/Flash90)
“From now on, no tankers will have access to the factories,” he says in remarks relayed by his office, which says five factories had been ordered to shut down.
The move came after a senior Health Ministry official sent a letter to the interior ministry’s planning department warning of a disproportionately high cancer rate in the Haifa area due to the operation of such plants.
— AFP
Is The Times of Israel important to you?
If so, we have a request.
Every day, even during war, our journalists keep you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fast, fair and free coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel - and we know you do too. So today, we have an ask: show your appreciation for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.
Yes, I'll give
Yes, I'll give
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, April 19, 2015
