Crackdown Coming on Illegal PA Trash Burning Sites

The Civil Administration has embarked on a new campaign to shut down illegal trash burning sites in northern Shomron, Channel 20 reported. The campaign aims to prevent Arabs from burning trash, tires and other items in fires that pollute Israeli towns throughout the region.

For years, residents of Shomron have complained about the fires set by Arabs in their own towns, burning trash and tires in smoky and smelly blazes that emit acrid smoke throughout the area. Many people have complained of breathing problems, and air pollution levels measured during these periods indicate that pollution rises significantly. The new campaign aims to prevent the fires from being set in the first place, with fines and other sanctions against those who set them.

Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan said that “clean air is a basic civil right. The Palestinian Authority has adopted a new custom – why pay for removing and burying trash when you can just burn it? We must change this paradigm. From previous efforts, we know that this cannot be a one-time enforcement, but it must be a long process. We intend to ensure that that happens.”