Arson at Southern Wastewater Treatment Plant Linked to Protection Racket

A significant environmental hazard is developing in southern Israel following an arson attack on the electricity room at the Shoket wastewater treatment facility. Criminals are believed to be responsible, having set fire to the facility after the "No'e Midbar" water corporation refused to pay protection money. The attack has completely disabled the plant, causing approximately 30,000 cubic meters of raw sewage to flow daily into the Hebron River. This untreated wastewater then continues into the Beer Sheva River and the Besor Basin, damaging agriculture, drainage systems, and groundwater, and endangering the Mountain Aquifer.

The incident exacerbates an ongoing strain on southern water treatment systems, which are already burdened by two major pollution sources from the West Bank. The first is untreated municipal sewage flowing from the city of Hebron for about 43 kilometers into Israel near the Meitar crossing, as the Palestinian Authority does not treat it. The second source is industrial waste from illegal stone quarries operating in the southern Hebron hills, which discharge stone dust and mineral solids that damage treatment systems. Data collected by Dr. Neama Avrahamov for the "Yarok Az" (Green Now) organization indicates that approximately 83,000 tons of mineral solids have accumulated at the Shoket treatment plant over five years.

Yehuda Kapah, Director of the Southern Region for the Regavim movement, commented on the connection between crime and environmental negligence, stating, "All the streams flow to the sea, and all the pollutants flow to the Hebron River. The stench rising from the Beer Sheva River in recent days tells of the 'sickly evils' that the State of Israel must confront." Kapah added that this is not an isolated incident but a reality where criminal organizations damage national infrastructure, and the public pays the price.

Barak Wecker, CEO of "Yarok Az," explained that a systemic intervention is required. He noted that for years, sewage from Hebron has been flowing for dozens of kilometers, severely harming the environment. Wecker believes that addressing the pollution source from Hebron earlier would have significantly reduced the current damage, even if it wouldn't have prevented the facility's shutdown due to the criminals' actions. In May, environmental organizations petitioned the High Court of Justice against the Defense Minister, the Civil Administration, and the Israel Police, demanding enforcement of the law and the closure of illegal stone quarries that harm water infrastructure and the environment.