Last update - 00:00 03/01/2008
Court rejects greens' petition against plan to build IDF base
By Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent
The Be'er Sheva District Court on Thursday rejected an environmental group's petition to halt construction of an Israel Defense Forces mega-base south of the Ramat Hovav industrial zone.
In its petition , the environmentalist association Adam, Teva, V'Din demanded that blueprints for the army base undergo standard planning procedures and be subjected to public scrutiny.
In addition, it said construction should not start before pollution emissions from the nearby industrial zone were adequately addressed and a study of the area's potential health hazards was completed.
Defense officials have announced last month that if the petition was indeed rejected by the District Court, they would proceed with the construction plan immediately.
However, populating the potential base is likely to be postponed due to ongoing disputes between local industrialists and the Environment Ministry over the curbing of pollution produced in Ramat Hovav.
Thursday's court verdict states that the environmental group's petition was not appropriate for submission because the construction plans have already passed an environmental risk management survey.
Defense officials welcomed the court's ruling and said it would encourage the implementation of the government's decision to develop the Negev. "This is an important day for the Negev as well as for environmentalists," defense officials said in response.
"The Defense Ministry would make sure that environmental regulations are met and that the health of IDF soldiers and the Negev residents is ensured," the officials added. The ministry further stressed that the future base would not be populated until the wellbeing of the soldiers was fully guaranteed.
Adam, Teva V'Din leaders have asked the court to postpone the beginning of construction by four days. Attorney Na'ama Elad said the association was planning to petition the court's ruling. Elad stressed that the survey conducted in the area indicated that the case had no sufficient information, and therefore did not apply.
The future IDF base is supposed to stretch over 1,600 dunams, and to inhabit all the guidance bases currently located in Tzrifin.
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