Israel is looking to shut a major industrial zone in the coastal city of Haifa that health officials say has been hazardous for years and turn it into an eco-friendly commercial and residential hub.
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The plan is to phase out within a decade a number of factories, including the country's largest oil refinery, that supply much of the country's fuel products and petrochemicals used in materials like plastics and asphalt.
A "metropolitan park" will be built in their place, with a focus on green businesses, tourism, residences and nature.
The labor union at Oil Refineries, Israel's largest refining and petrochemicals group that sits on 526 acres in the bay area, has rejected the proposal. It says the company's business is critical to the economy and has promised to use "all tools at its disposal" to ensure its workers' future.
