Every time there are elections, Israel's various environmental organizations hope that this time around, the main parties will dedicate a sizeable portion of their platforms to Green issues. And every time, their hopes are dashed. While most of the parties do have some passing references to environment issues in their official manifestoes, most do not make any mention of them in their daily election propaganda. Likud, Labor and Shas completely ignore environmental issues in their public relations material, something that comes as no surprise to green activists who have witnessed these parties' inactivity in the Knesset. But even those parties that are supposed to reserve a prominent place for environmental issues - Meretz and Shinui - barely give the subject a passing mention. Both of these parties have Knesset members who have been highly active on Green issues. Shinui's Yehudit Naot and Avraham Poraz, and Meretz's Mossi Raz and Ilan Gilon were mentioned in the Israel Union for Environmental Defense's annual report of lawmakers' activity on environmental issues, while Meretz was named as the most active party. In second place was Shinui. Dangerous chemicals In its election broadcasts, however, Shinui does not mention any of the pressing Green problems, such as the dangerous chemicals endangering the Gulf of Eilat. In addition, the lengthy section of the party's manifesto dealing with the environment, which was drawn up by the chairwoman of the party's environmental committee, Alona David-Colan, is not mentioned at all in the television campaign. "Our party has a specific line of propaganda," explains Naot, "and not every subject could be included in it. There is also no mention of women's rights, which I see as a vitally important subject - simply because we could not include everything that appears in our manifesto." Naot stresses, however, that she does talk about Green issues at parlor meeting she attends, especially in the Haifa area, were residents are especially concerned by environmental nuisances. Meretz, too, does not give prominence to Green issues. Mossi Raz cannot say exactly why this is the case, and says that questions should be directed at the heads of the party's PR apparatus. To his credit, however, and to the credit of Gilon, both have continued with the Green activities even at the height of the election campaign. This week, for example, they visited Arab villages, discussed the problems the villagers are experiencing, including sewage, refuse and the establishment of recreation areas. The only party that defines itself as an environmental party is the Greens. Some three weeks ago, the Greens held one of the most unusual press conferences of the current election campaign. Party members convened members of the press on a Jaffa beach that has become, over the years, a garbage dump. The head of the party, Pe'er Weisner, vowed that the Greens would act within the Knesset to cut down air pollution and the destruction of Israel's beaches. He described how Israel is destroying its own natural resources, adding that the Palestinians would not be willing to receive a stretch of land as polluted as Ramat Hovav, even if they were offered it. He and his colleagues promised to pass legislation ensuring that permits for any new construction work would be conditional on avoiding environmental damage. The Green Party does not have the same apparatus and infrastructure of parties who operate all over the country. Weisner claims that the Greens have activists from the Galilee in the north to the Negev in the south, and that the party's activities are recognized in many different areas. That said, it seems that the bulk of the Greens' work is centered in Tel Aviv, where they have recorded their only electoral success to date - two seats on the municipal council. Members of the Green Party credit themselves with several environmental successes, but, in truth, these are more the result of extra-parliamentary work, rather than he work of the party itself. The Greens say that they were instrumental in slowing down construction work on beaches, reducing groundwater pollution in Tel Aviv and rescuing the Dead Sea. But the major part of these successes was down to organizations such as the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Friends of the Earth and the Israel Union for Environmental Defense. Confusion On more than one occasion, Weisner has complained that potential voters are likely to confuse his party with Green Leaf, which advocated the legalization of soft drugs. While Weisner insists that the Greens are the only environmental party, a spokesman for Green Leaf says that his party is also environmentally aware, maintaining close ties with Green parties in Germany. Green Leaf also stresses environmental issues in its television campaign. The section of the party's manifesto dealing with the environment, entitles "The only Green party," includes fairly conventional ideas, such as preparing a program for reducing the amount of hazardous materials in the Haifa Bay, legislation encouraging manufacturers to use environment-friendly materials and an end to building on public beaches. But even this section is influenced by the party's stance on cannabis. Green Leaf advocates the use of hemp - a cannabis derivative - instead of cotton, since it uses up less water and is immune to pests. Despite the fact that the main parties do not give much room for hope, environmental activists know that the next Knesset will still include many members who are aware of Green issues. This was even evident in the outgoing Knesset, when a group of lawmakers from various parties managed to initiate an impressive series of laws and succeeded in stymieing several plans that would have caused grave environmental damage. Senior Green activists have refrained from expressing affiliation to any one party, however, in order to maintain good relations with all the parties. One major exception, however, is Dr. Alon Tal, the chairman of the Green umbrella organization, who joined Meretz. Tal believes that under current circumstances - specifically the security situation - the Greens are unable to attract voters on purely environmental issues. He adds that even when there is some justification for a single-issue environmental party, it will have to provide a wide-ranging social platform that includes recommendations for safeguarding the environment.