Weekly Update 28

March 7, 2025

Hello, everyone.

I’d appreciate it if you could invite others to join the newsletter—please have them send me their email address.

Summary:

Topic 1: As of now, the quarry at Ein Ayala has been selected as the top-ranked alternative for the construction of a new storage site for 550,000 tons of fuel and a fuel dispensing station for tankers. This is a very bad alternative.

Read on to learn about the many dangers inherent in this site. And most importantly—what you can do to fight this, while staying at home (at this stage).

Second Topic: Development of the Zichrona Neighborhood. During the discussion of the motion our party submitted on this issue, it was stated that the council intends to file an objection to the requests for exemptions submitted by Big Bizmit, the developer of the senior housing project. At the same time, the council head reported at the last meeting that government ministries are pressuring the council to begin developing the neighborhood. Its immediate construction would bring economic and transportation disaster upon the community.

Our party is committed to continuing to monitor the meetings of the Regional Planning and Construction Committee—minutes and files that are open to the public on the website. This is painstaking work that only our party is doing—but it is the most important issue for residents, and that is why we are there as public servants.

First issue: Converting the Ein Ayala quarry on Route 4 north, adjacent to Pardes, into a fuel storage and distribution site to replace the refineries in Haifa

Several years ago, the Israeli government decided to remove all petrochemical activity from the Haifa Bay area, including the closure of the refineries. Due to the cessation of oil refining, the state is expected to begin importing fuels and refined products—and to that end, a dedicated storage and distribution site will be established.

TAMA 75 examines the various alternatives for establishing the new storage site, which is intended to store approximately 550,000 tons of various types of fuels (gasoline, diesel, diesel, etc.), as well as a distribution station (“tanker fuel station”) with a capacity of approximately 280,000 tons. Several alternatives have been proposed as part of the plan. A week ago, something very bad happened—the Ein Ayala Quarry alternative is currently the state’s preferred option.

Building the fuel depot at the Ein Ayala Quarry would be a disaster!

❌ Risk of leaks and soil contamination

❌ Serious risk of drinking water contamination (coastal aquifer)

❌ Serious security risk in the event of a missile attack

❌ Risk of fires and explosions, approximately 50 meters from residents’ homes

❌ Risk of fires and explosions, approximately 100 meters from the active Shafiya Quarry.

❌ The proposed site is close to Route 4, which serves as the region’s main transportation artery. According to estimates, the facility’s construction will add approximately 1,000 trucks per day to an already congested road, potentially causing massive traffic jams and even safety risks in the event of breakdowns.

❌ Damage to natural and environmental values.

Local authorities (Carmel Coast, Poridis, Zichron Yaakov) began their campaign against the Ein Ayala alternative during the previous term when Ziv Deshe was council head and continue under the current council head. A few months ago, the current council plenary approved a total of 100,000 NIS to contribute to the security assessment written by Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland for the campaign headquarters opposing the construction of the fuel depot at Ein Ayala.

The report states that the construction of the facility at Ein Ayala would pose a serious security threat due to its proximity to pipelines serving Israel’s entire energy sector, including oil and gas. This is particularly true in light of what occurred during the last war.

An economic report by Prof. Nir Becker estimates that building the fuel depot at this site would be the most expensive of all the alternatives, costing the state approximately 2.4 billion NIS.

At this week’s council meeting, Attorney Tomer Mirz, a lawyer with extensive experience in environmental campaigns who is providing professional guidance for the campaign, addressed us. He noted that in a month’s time, a hearing will be held on the objections to be filed against the Ein Ayala memorial site alternative. Therefore, we must immediately mobilize the public in the area and organize a well-founded opposition with a solid stance.

The three municipalities are continuing to work on the planning, legal, and political fronts, and now the campaign headquarters is also stepping up efforts in the public sphere to exert significant pressure on decision-makers. Our campaign is taking to the streets, and we call on all of you—join us in demanding an end to this scandal!

What must each and every one of you do?

Follow the campaign’s Facebook group—https://www.facebook.com/Saveeinayala

Every resident must sign the following petition and forward it to at least 10 other residents: https://www.atzuma.co.il/nowayeinayala

Anyone with connections to the relevant decision-making bodies is invited to contact the campaign headquarters directly

Second Issue: The Construction of the Zichrona Neighborhood

In the previous newsletter, I explained a specific construction plan for Zichrona that has already been submitted for objection to the District Planning and Construction Committee—an increase in zoning rights for the construction of 250 sheltered housing units with commercial space. The developers are requesting a series of additions. Objections may be submitted until April 10, 2025.

To ensure that the council is indeed present at the hearing and submits an objection, our entire party submitted a motion for the agenda of the council meeting held last Tuesday. The motion asked council members to vote in favor of the following wording we proposed:

The Local Council plenary opposes the proposed Plan 353-1259019 and approves the submission of an objection to the plan in light of the increase in construction areas based on decisions made by the Baron Regional Committee, as well as additional grounds as determined by the relevant professional bodies within the council.
The Council also recommends that the Regional Committee file an objection in accordance with the Council’s decision.

To our great delight, the Council Chairman replied that the Council intends to file an objection to this plan, which is detrimental to Zichron Yaakov.

To our great disappointment, the Council Chairman stated that plenary approval is not required for him to file objections to plans and construction projects. In fact, he has been doing so since taking office—again, without updating us and without obtaining plenary approval.

Attorney Yossi Barzilai, the council’s legal advisor who was present at the meeting—in response to a direct question from me—confirmed this position and stated that plenary approval is not required to file objections, but rather in cases where the regional committee does not file them and only the council does so.

I disagree with Abutbul and Legal Advisor Barzilai on this matter: it is unacceptable that the issue most important to residents—construction in Zichron Yaakov—should proceed without the involvement of council members, with the council head alone making the decisions. We have already seen this happen when he submitted the plan to build an event hall on the public open space adjacent to the Great Synagogue. A plan submitted without us even knowing about it. And even though the District Committee forced him to go back and obtain approval from the council members—he still did not inform us that a plan had already been submitted!!

As long as this remains the position, our party is committed to continuing to monitor the meetings of the Regional Planning and Construction Committee—minutes and files that are open to the public on the website. It is a painstaking task that only our party undertakes—but this is the most important issue for residents, and that is why we are there as public servants.

This monitoring is crucial in light of the astonishing revelations shared by the council head, and it is vital that every resident be aware of them. You are invited to listen to the recording; I will summarize the key points here:

According to the council head’s remarks at the plenary session, the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of the Interior are exerting very heavy pressure on Abutbul and other council staff to approve the construction of the Zichrona neighborhood immediately, rather than seven years from now. Let us recall that this is the position established by the previous council head and approved by the court, which rejected the petition filed by the developers seeking to compel the council to develop the neighborhood immediately.

The council head has publicly stated that he opposes the development of the Zichrona neighborhood at this stage because it would spell disaster for the entire community. This is also true from an economic standpoint, as the development of the neighborhood requires massive budgets—far more than the Israel Land Authority is willing to provide. And most importantly, because roads must first be built to another neighborhood; all traffic entering and exiting the new neighborhood—home to approximately 13,000 people—will pass through Maof HaTzipor Square, which is the second entrance to the Halomot neighborhood and the only entrance to all the schools, and is already heavily congested in the mornings.

The road system must be addressed by widening Rabin Road to four lanes (an approved road corridor already exists), at an estimated cost of 200 million NIS, and by widening the road leading up to Zichron Yaakov from the Beit El side to four lanes.

Regarding the halting of construction in Zichron Ya’acov, our party fully supports the position presented by the head of the local council. We will assist him in any way he requests on this matter, which is critical to the quality of life for all of us here.

Limor Zar-Guttman

The “Lema’an HaMoshava” Party