Israeli army bases in West Bank pollute the environment

The Israeli army recognises that about half of its military bases in the occupied West Bank pollute the environment and contaminate groundwater, an Israeli newspaper said on Friday.

The details, which were revealed by the Israeli ecological group Green Now, showed that sewage from 58 out of 123 military bases in the West Bank goes directly into the land without passing through treatment plants.

Green Now has filed a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court against the military base, accusing them of harming the environment and helping the spread of infectious diseases.

Four years ago, the Israeli army pledged to implement an annual plan to build treatment plants near to the military bases. Most of the plans were ignored.

The army has recently opposed a plan proposed by the Israeli ministry of environment to apply the rules of Israeli environment law in the West Bank, including the military bases.

In the beginning the ministry refused this, but eventually it begun the application of this law, starting with civil properties.