Heads of authorities met in Modi'in with the Minister of Environmental Protection and the ministry's professional staff as part of the intensified fight against the phenomenon of the burning of waste in Judea and Samaria and the existence of rogue waste sites.
Mayor Haim Bibas: "This is environmental terrorism, no less. The state must stop ignoring the phenomenon and urgently address this with an operational, budgeted and systematic plan."
Minister of Environmental Protection, MK Idit Silman, came to the city on Tuesday, November 4th 2025 for a professional meeting on the subject of severe air pollution resulting from waste fires in the territories of Judea and Samaria.
The meeting was held in the presence of Mayor Haim Bibas and with the participation of mayors and local and regional councils from the coastal regions, the Sharon region, and Judea and Samaria, all of which are affected by repeated damage from the polluting waste fires that harm the air quality and health of hundreds of thousands of residents.
At the meeting, the Minister presented the recommendations of the inter-ministerial team, established following Government Resolution 592, which formulated a strategic plan for the prevention of environmental pollution, and, among other things, recommended strengthening supervisory and enforcement powers, establishing regional waste treatment and waste sorting sites, establishing a 24/7 centralized center for reporting environmental hazards, expanding the air monitoring system, and international cooperation in establishing environmental infrastructure in Judea and Samaria.
It should be emphasized that many of the recommendations have not yet been approved or implemented in practice, and that the gap between government decisions and what is happening on the ground remains.
Minister Silman noted at the meeting: "This is good news for the residents of the region and for the entire State of Israel - Judea and Samaria is not an environmental backyard of the State of Israel, no longer environmental terrorism and a reality of smoke, odor and pollution beyond the fence. We will act decisively: we will strengthen enforcement, establish modern infrastructure and stop the fires. Public health and the environment will not remain neglected. This is the beginning of a different era, in which the state takes responsibility and addresses the root of the problem - on the ground, in real time, and for all residents. I thank the heads of authorities, and most of all - the Chairman of the Federation of the Local Government in Israel, Haim Bibas, for their partnership and commitment - together we will create real change."
Mayor Haim Bibas: "I thank the Minister of Environmental Protection for choosing to hold this important discussion that concerns not only the city's residents but also more than a million residents living in communities near the fence. The phenomenon of waste fires in Judea and Samaria and the existence of rogue waste sites constitute environmental terrorism and pose a real danger to public health. The state has been standing by for years, ignoring the issue. No body is taking full responsibility for the incident and doing what is required. The fires are in areas controlled by the IDF, so there are no excuses: We demand that a single, comprehensive agency be designated by the Ministry of Defense to operate with an operational, budgeted, and time-bound plan to eradicate the phenomenon.
The responsibility lies with the state. I know that if this had happened in the jurisdiction of one of the cities in Israel, the local authorities would have taken action long ago."
In his remarks, Bibas mentioned that the municipality has been working on this issue for years: "Over the past few years, we have repeatedly contacted the Civil Administration and the relevant government agencies, and this failure continues. Even after the government's decision and the State Comptroller's report from March 2024, which determined that this was a systemic failure that endangers human lives and included detailed recommendations, nothing was done. After the report was published, teams were established, reports were written and meetings were held, but on the ground, the fires continue, the pollution continues and the state continues to be helpless."
Bibas demanded that the state establish a single comprehensive entity, which would manage an operational, budgeted and systematic plan that includes monitoring, treatment, enforcement, punishment, cooperation of all relevant entities: the IDF, the Civil Administration, the police, the fire department, government ministries and local authorities. Bibas further emphasized that "for years the State of Israel has ignored the criminal organizations in Arab society, and now crime has spread throughout the State of Israel, criminals are moving garbage across the line and setting it on fire there, it is a real threat. The time has come to act decisively, dismantle the criminal organizations, set up coordinated enforcement operations and prevent harm to the public."
"We demand to see results. We will not tolerate any more talk, any more declarations and any more empty plans," Bibas concluded.
Meanwhile, last week, an air pollution monitoring station began operating in the city, located in the Kramim neighborhood, on the corner of Adar and Heshvan streets. The station, which monitors the levels of dust particles and benzene as a result of the fires in the territories, operates 24 hours a day. Later, the municipality (as well as the other local authorities which have installed monitoring stations) will present the monitoring measurements as part of the assessments ahead of the appeal to the High Court of Justice.
In addition, the municipality continues to appeal to government and security officials every week, and at the same time is preparing with other authorities, including Kfar Saba, Rosh HaAyin, Yehud Monoson, Shoham, Emek Hefer, Kochav Yair and Hevel Modi'in, to submit a petition to the High Court of Justice that will demand that the state immediately address the fire hotspots and unregulated waste sites. The municipalities emphasize that the fight will continue until the fires are stopped and residents of Modi'in Maccabim Re'ut and the surrounding area are guaranteed clean and safe air to breathe.
