Climate Engineering Debate Reaches Israeli Knesset Amid Conspiracy Theories
For the first time, the Israeli Knesset held a special discussion on climate engineering during the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee meeting on Tuesday. The session was dominated by proponents of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, who celebrated the parliamentary platform to voice their concerns. Only towards the end did government representatives speak, emphasizing that no climate engineering experiments are conducted in Israel, and therefore, there is no public safety risk.
The discussion was initiated at the request of the organizations "Blue Skies" and "Independent Israel - For National Sovereignty and Citizenship." The Facebook page "Climate Engineering Israel," affiliated with Blue Skies, proudly announced the move to the Knesset after 14 years of activity, claiming Israel is a testing ground for various sprays and compounds without public knowledge. Committee chairman Itzhak Kroizer (Otzma Yehudit) stressed the importance of listening to public sentiment, particularly from northern and border communities.
Participants shared various conspiracy claims, including sightings of aircraft being filled with unknown substances and symbolic interpretations of events. Lini Nandel Rowling, leader of Blue Skies, criticized an Israeli company working on climate cooling technologies, questioning the injected substances and their health effects. She denied these concerns were conspiracy theories, despite her known opposition to vaccines and sharing of other conspiracy content on social media.
The Knesset Research and Information Center provided a scientific background document explaining climate engineering methods such as carbon removal, tree planting, and solar radiation management, referencing natural phenomena like volcanic ash cooling the Earth. However, the discussion itself was far from scientific.
Dr. Amir Givati, head of the Meteorological Service, attempted to dispel conspiracy claims, stating there is no authorized spraying or atmospheric intervention in Israel. Dr. Yaakov Lifshitz from the Water Authority confirmed no active human interventions for climate change are known domestically, though pollution from human activity is recognized. The government representatives reiterated that Israel does not engage in climate engineering experiments, ensuring public safety.
