Could policy promoted by the Environmental Protection Ministry rattle the peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates?
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On Tuesday, newly appointed Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg demanded that the state repeal the agreement signed between the Trans-Israel pipeline company and the UAE as part of the peace deal crafted between the two countries in September 2020.
The deal stipulates that the UAE could use the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline to move Gulf oil from the Middle East to the rest of the world. Green groups have warned the deal could inflict massive environmental damage.
"The Gulf of Eilat is in real danger because of the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline, and Israel should not be an oil bridge to other countries," she said.
A senior Abu Dhabi official told Israel Hayom that if the government ends up nixing the agreement, "there could be a crisis in the relations with Israel, and it could jeopardize the stability of the Abraham Accords."
The existence of the pipeline deal was made public by a Kan 11 News expose earlier this year, prompting outgoing Environmental Protection Minister of Gila Gamliel to begin lobbying for its cancelation.
"This deal must be repealed without delay," Gamliel said at the time. "This deal was signed without informing the Environmental Protection Ministry and without consulting its experts. The alarms are sounding and the government must spare no effort to prevent the next [environmental] disaster."
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