Israeli Court Slaps 7-day Gag Order on Oil Spill

Israeli soldiers wearing protective suits listen to a briefing ahead of cleanup operations to remove tar from a beach after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea At Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Gaash, Israel, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers wearing protective suits listen to a briefing ahead of cleanup operations to remove tar from a beach after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea At Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Gaash, Israel, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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Israeli Court Slaps 7-day Gag Order on Oil Spill

Israeli soldiers wearing protective suits listen to a briefing ahead of cleanup operations to remove tar from a beach after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea At Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Gaash, Israel, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers wearing protective suits listen to a briefing ahead of cleanup operations to remove tar from a beach after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea At Sharon Beach Nature Reserve, near Gaash, Israel, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A Haifa court slapped a seven-day gag order on the investigation into the source of a huge oil leak that has polluted Israel’s entire Mediterranean coast with tar.

The ruling by the Haifa Magistrate’s Court came at the request of the Environmental Protection Ministry, which is probing the spill.

The order prohibits publishing any details that may identify suspects, vessels, relevant ports, cargo and shipping lines, according to The Times of Israel.

The Environmental Protection Ministry secured satellite images, dated February 11, of a suspicious black patch on the sea surface some 50 kilometers (31 miles) off the coast and footage showing 10 ships that were in the area around that time.

Maya Jacobs, who heads the Zalul marine protection organization, reacted to the court order by saying, “When those active in the sea and creating the dangers of spills are wealthy oil and shipping companies with influence over regulators, Zalul demands a transparent investigation and the removal of the order.”

Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel pledged that authorities would use every means possible to locate whoever was responsible for the spill and prosecute.

She announced that she had agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on submitting a proposal for government approval on Monday for immediate funding for beach rehabilitation and advancement of legislation on preparedness for marine spills that should have been passed years ago.

Meanwhile, nine local authorities belonging to the Sharon Carmel Towns Association stopped cleanup work at contaminated beaches under their jurisdiction Monday, after the Finance Ministry refused to approve a program and budget submitted by the Environmental Protection Ministry.



Pro-Palestinian NGOs Sue Dutch Gov't over Israel Support

A Palestinian flag is removed from a building by Israeli authorities after being put up by an advocacy group that promotes coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (AP)
A Palestinian flag is removed from a building by Israeli authorities after being put up by an advocacy group that promotes coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (AP)
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Pro-Palestinian NGOs Sue Dutch Gov't over Israel Support

A Palestinian flag is removed from a building by Israeli authorities after being put up by an advocacy group that promotes coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (AP)
A Palestinian flag is removed from a building by Israeli authorities after being put up by an advocacy group that promotes coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (AP)

Pro-Palestinian groups took the Dutch state to court Friday, urging a halt to arms exports to Israel and accusing the government of failing to prevent what they termed a genocide in Gaza.

The NGOs argued that Israel is breaking international law in Gaza and the West Bank, invoking, amongst others, the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention set up in the wake of the Holocaust.

"Israel is guilty of genocide and apartheid" and "is using Dutch weapons to wage war", said Wout Albers, a lawyer representing the NGOs.

"Dutch weapons are killing children, every day, in Palestine, including my family," said Ahmed Abofoul, a legal advisor to Al Haq, one of the groups involved in the suit, AFP reported.

Israel furiously denies accusations of genocide as it presses on with the offensive in Gaza it began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

Opening the case at the court in The Hague, judge Sonja Hoekstra noted: "It is important to underline that the gravity of the situation in Gaza is not contested by the Dutch State, nor is the status of the West Bank."

"Today is about finding out what is legally in play and what can be expected of the State, if the State can be expected to do more, or act differently than it is currently acting," she added.

She acknowledged this was a "sensitive case", saying: "It's a whole legal debate."

The lawyer for the Dutch State, Reimer Veldhuis, said the Netherlands has been applying European laws in force for arms exports.

Veldhuis argued the case should be tossed out.

"It is unlikely that the minister responsible will grant an arms export licence to Israel that would contribute to the Israeli army's activities in Gaza or the West Bank," said Veldhuis.