Khaled Osaily. خالد العسيلي رئيس بلدية الخيل السابق خالد العسيلي
Hebron Municipality’s Childhood Happiness Center hosted the launching ceremony for the Solid Waste Management Project in Hebron and Bethlehem Governorates. The Project’s total cost is estimated at 20 million USD to be covered by the Palestinian Government, the World Bank, the European Union and the Italian Cooperation.
In his speech during the ceremony, Dr. Ali Jarbawi, Palestinian Minister of Planning, expressed his joy at the launching of this project which underlines the importance of cooperation between various entities. “The Palestinian Authority is a work-in-progress on the political, planning, development and executive levels. Our government works on all levels to support the steadfastness of Palestinians. In Palestine, solid waste is an issue which has gained importance over the past years due to its impact on the environment but also given its economic and social importance. While the countries of the world meet in Copenhagen to discuss issues related to the environment, we must work seriously to safeguard our country from pollution. We condemn Israeli practices aimed at polluting our environment by dumping waste on our land, polluting areas adjacent to Israeli settlements with wastewater and dumping industrial waste in various parts of the West Bank. We call on participants at the Copenhagen conference to denounce transgressions against our environment and our people”, he said.
Hebron Mayor Khaled Osaily who is also the Chairman of the Higher Joint Service Council took the floor at the beginning of the ceremony. He welcomed all guests and addressed words of thanks to participants and to all those who helped realize this great achievement. “We have the right to be proud of this Council because it constitutes a great example to be followed by all Palestinian municipalities and regions. This is the first project in which Hebron and Bethlehem municipalities join hands to provide services to citizens to help ensure the basis of a future Palestinian State”, he said. Mayor Osaily lauded support received from President Abbas, Prime Minister Fayyad, Palestinian ministries and donors, especially the World Bank which he thanked for its relentless efforts to secure funding and ensure direct follow-up for this project. Osaily also commended the latest positive decision by the EU in support of Palestinian rights and which does not recognize Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem.
Mr. Omar Al Imlah, Head of Local Government in Hebron, took the floor on behalf of the Ministry of Local Government. He spoke about the challenges faced by the Ministry and the importance of cooperation with local authorities to upgrade services and to improve Palestinians’ daily lives.
Speaking on behalf of the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority, Eng. Mahmoud Abou Shanab spoke about this model project and its key role in improving the management of solid waste in the Southern West Bank.
Ms. Dina Abou Ghaida, World Bank Deputy Country Director in the West Bank and Gaza, spoke about efforts exerted to ensure the success of this project by all relevant bodies, as well as about future efforts needed to implement all project phases in line with international standards.
EU representative Mr. Michel Luige lauded cooperation between Palestinian Governorates. He spoke about EU objectives including providing support to Palestinians, improving their daily lives and developing vital sectors in the Palestinian Territories. He touched on the importance of the Solid Waste Management Project in the Southern West Bank.
Dr. Antonio Laroka, Head of the Palestinian Municipalities’ Development Project through the Italian Cooperation, Eng. Ibrahim Dajani (World Bank), Head of the Project’s technical team and Eng. Yasser Al Dweik, Director of the Joint Service Council also took the floor and spoke about the administrative and technical aspects of the project.
The ceremony ended by a workshop entitled “The Solid Waste Management Project in the West Bank: reality and aspirations”. Several representatives from local authorities and various institutions took part in the discussion.
The Solid Waste Management Project is a first important step towards solving numerous environmental problems encountered in the Southern West Bank (Hebron and Bethlehem Governorates), mainly the existence of a large number of random and unhealthy dumps with negative impacts on the environment. Different parties, mainly Hebron and Bethlehem Municipalities (the two biggest municipalities in the Southern West Bank), have endeavored to put an end to this problem. These endeavors led to the creation of the Joint Higher Council for the Management of Solid Waste in Hebron and Bethlehem Governorates through cooperation and coordination between the Joint Service Council for Hebron Governorate (chaired by Hebron municipality and comprising the 6 following members: Yatta municipality –Vice Chair-, Ithna municipality –Treasurer-, Sa’ir municipality –Secretary-, Beit Ummar municipality, Al Samoo’ municipality and the Doura Rif joint service council), and the Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management in Bethlehem Governorate chaired by Bethlehem Municipality.
Hebron and Bethlehem municipalities have set an example in cooperation between national institutions and municipalities aimed at providing public services and at improving services provided to Palestinians. The Higher Joint Council includes the seven following members: Hebron Mayor and Chairman of the Joint Council for Hebron Governorate (Chairman); Bethlehem Mayor and Chairman of the Joint Council for Bethlehem Governorate (Vice-Chairman); Chairman of the Western Rif areas/ Bethlehem (treasurer); Chairman of the Dura Rif Service Council (Secretary); Yatta Mayor; Ithna Mayor; and the Chairman of the Eastern Rif Service Council/Bethlehem. The above-project has been on the Higher Council’s agenda ever since the Council’s early days.
