Beit Shemesh green groups press mayoral candidates

Sviva Israel, the Shemesh Yehuda Environmental Forum and Be'er Tikva convene public meetings to hear how candidates would tackle environmental issues.

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
daniel vaknin 248.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
daniel vaknin 248.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Three environmental groups in Beit Shemesh have succeeded in pushing green issues high up the agenda ahead of local elections on Tuesday. The groups - Sviva Israel, the Shemesh Yehuda Environmental Forum and Be'er Tikva - convened public meetings recently with all three mayoral candidates to hear from them how they would tackle the most pressing environmental issues in the area. The activists submitted a position paper to the candidates stressing five major problems. The first is the excessive air pollution in the city, both from local factories and blowing in from elsewhere. Beit Shemesh has one of the highest rates of air pollution in the country, they said, and they want a comprehensive Health Ministry survey to determine the sources of pollution, so a plan of action can be formulated. Incumbent Daniel Vaknin (Likud), told the groups that he had actually ordered such a survey, but did not explain why it had not yet been carried out, Sviva Israel director Carmi Wisemon said. Shas candidate Moshe Abutbul promised such a survey within six months if elected and Beyachad candidate Shalom Lerner also agreed it was an important subject. The second issue is creating the Beit Natif National Park. The green activists have been alarmed by the rapid expansion of Beit Shemesh at the expense of its open spaces. They contend they moved to Beit Shemesh precisely to have more open spaces than are available in more crowded cities. Vaknin expressed support for the park, Lerner said he was willing to study the issue, but Abutbul said the housing crisis for young couples would take priority. "Why should Beit Shemesh have to pay the price for a national problem?" Wisemon asked rhetorically in response. The groups are also pressing to clean up the city's streets and parks and to create a recycling infrastructure. All three candidates expressed their willingness to do so. In the longer term, the green coalition stressed two aspects. One, environmental education for the public. While expressing support in theory, none of the candidates outlined a long-term plan, according to Wisemon. The environmentalists have also set up an Environmental Watch Group to monitor the mayor and the city council to ensure that environmental aspects play a role in future city planning. The watch group will also try to ensure that the candidates' remarks made ahead of the election do not remain mere campaign rhetoric. Their efforts seem to be having an effect. Both Lerner and Abutbul recently released campaign ads or e-mails stressing the importance of green issues and promising to address these issues if elected. The efforts in Beit Shemesh are part of a larger campaign called Green Now, organized by Life and Environment nationwide. Life and Environment is the umbrella organization for environmental groups in Israel. While Beit Shemesh's candidates are not environmentalists per se, in other major cities environmentalists are vying for top spots. MK Dov Henin (Hadash) and Peer Visner (Greens) are both running for Tel Aviv mayor, while third on Nir Barkat's list is Naomi Tzur, a professional environmentalist. In addition, both the Greens and the new Green Movement have been very active in local election campaigns.