Rotting garbage from overflowing makeshift dumpsites is sending noxious fumes into Palestinian homes, sometimes killing farm animals
By Omar Abdel-Baqui, many of them in densely-populated Palestinian cities and villages under the control of the semiautonomous Palestinian Authority.About 10% of residential trash in areas under authority management is dumped in such sites or simply burned, according to researchers overseen by the United Nations.Iyyad Abdul-Raheem, a Palestinian shepherd, lives about 200 yards from the Al-Minya landfill, an official dumpsite, in a home he built around 20 years ago.
“Many of my sheep became sick and died, likely from eating plastic or drinking toxic water from around the landfill.”Omar Abdel-Baqui/The Wall Street Journal, officials say, they feel. Unofficial dumpsites don’t follow the same safety precautions as official landfills.With one of just three main sanitary landfills in the West Bank operated by Palestinians nearing capacity, officials and environmental groups are warning that the area is on the cusp of an impending environmental crisis.
continue to play out in the region as both Palestinians and Israelis press their claims to the territoryThey also show how the stalled peace process has left Palestinians with little scope to deal with the problem.Though Israel wrested control of the West Bank after the 1967 war with Jordan, it didn’t formally annex the region, which would mean taking responsibility for the welfare of Palestinians who live there.
The authority is now struggling to safely dispose of growing amounts of trash, limited in part by a $770 million budget deficit for 2022, according to World Bank estimates, and adding to a growing list of troubles.Public schools have been closed since February due to teacher strikes affecting hundreds of thousands students. And public employees haven’t received full salaries in over a year.
Polls regularly show most Palestinians are increasingly frustrated with the authority, which they believe is corrupt and ineffective.“Waste management is often overlooked because of the political situation, but it’s part of the political situation.”Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Zuma
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