Environmental Protection Minister Gideon Ezra said at the end of last week that he would be asking the cabinet to extend the term of Israel Nature and Parks Protection Authority (INPPA) Eli Amitay as director-general.

If the extension is approved, Amitay, who was appointed in 2002 and whose term has been fraught with controversy, will serve for another five years.

The INPPA controls the largest amount of area in the country after the Israel Defense Forces - about 6.5 million dunams, including 380 nature reserves and 115 national parks. Among its assets are important heritage sites such as Masada, Caesarea, Megiddo and areas around Jerusalem's Old City walls.

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Ezra held a series of meetings with scientists and environmentalists regarding the extension of Amitay's term, and received a letter from 11 scientists who opposed the move. They said Amitay had made decisions harmful to nature protection, ignored expert opinions and dealt more with development in the reserves than protecting nature. One of the signatories, Prof. Yoram Yom-Tov of Tel Aviv University, said Amitay had turned environmental organizations into his rivals, and that Amitay's appointment was being extended only to grant the minister political peace and quiet.

Over the past 12 years, three brigadier generals, including Amitay, have headed the INPPA.

One of Amitay's most controversial decisions was not to oppose the establishment of a new community on Mount Gilboa in an area slated to be a nature reserve. The National Council for Planning and Construction eventually refrained from approving the construction. The INPPA has also been slammed for not arriving at an arrangement with Kibbutz Ein Gedi to reduce the amount of water it draws from the spring in the Ein Gedi reserve for its mineral water production.

Amitay's supporters in and outside the INPPA say he managed to balance the organization's deficit after its income fell following the intifada and reduced visitor numbers.

One way of increasing income was to fence in more sites and charge entrance fees, which aroused public protest.

Ezra's bureau responded at the end of the week that he had listened to the various opinions and finally decided on the extension as he appreciated Amitay's work and the changes he had made to strengthen the INPPA.