The Haifa District Court says it will delay a decision on whether to uphold a ruling forcing an ammonia plant in the city to close for a few days.
Judge Tamar Sharon Netanel says a decision on the matter will come on Wednesday at the latest.
The hearing lasted some three hours, during which some 3,000 people protested outside the courtroom.
Activists protest outside a court hearing regarding the closure of an ammonia storage tank outside the Haifa District Court on February 26, 2017. (Meir Vaaknin/Flash90)
Last week, the Haifa Court for Local Affairs gave Haifa Group until February 26 to remove the Ammonia chemical from its tank on the bay. An earlier ruling had given the company until February 22 to clear out the container.
After initially signaling that it would abide by the ruling, the company filed a last-minute appeal, slamming the Haifa municipality as “demagogues” trying to “sow fear among the public.”
Officials say that tens of thousands of people could die if the tank should rupture, or a delivery ship is hit by a missile.
–– with Raoul Wootliff
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