Israel's national planning council has decided to cancel plans for constructing a new town on Har Yitzpor, in the Gilboa region, due to the fact that it would endanger the Gilboa iris.

The Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel vehemently opposed the establishment of Michal, the proposed town, claiming that it would endanger the indigenous flower, which is in danger of extinction.

According to SPNI, rather than establishing a new town, existing towns in the region should be expanded.

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Those opposed to establishing the new town, including a number of scientists, were backed last year by an Israel Nature and Parks Authority survey that determined that there is a high concentration of Gilboa irises in the area where Michal was to be built.

The council's decision corresponds to a recommendation made by analyst Dina Ringer, appointed by the Interior Ministry to research opposition to the plan, who stated that the new town should not be established.