The Environment Quality Authority (MEnA; ) is the central authoritative body for all environmental issues in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. It is the umbrella under which all environmental regulations, projects and strategies are created and implemented. MEnA's primary concern is the conservation and sound use of the natural environment. It seeks to maintain and safeguard the environment with plans to protect human health, curb and reduce the depletion of natural resources, combat

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

, prevent the aggravation of air and water pollution, promote environmental awareness and ensure achievement of sustainable urban development.

Brief historical development

On 10 December 1996, the

President of the Palestinian National Authority The president of the Palestinian National Authority () is the highest-ranking political position (equivalent to head of state) in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). From 2003 to 2013, the president appointed the prime minister of the Pa ...

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

, established the first organization in the State responsible for protecting the natural environment and mitigating effects on human health: the Palestinian Environmental Authority (PEnA). PEnA was created in parallel with the

Oslo II Accord The Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, commonly known as Oslo II or Oslo 2, was a key and complex agreement in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. Because it was signed in Taba, Egypt, it is sometimes called the Taba Agre ...

s, which agreed to establish a number of ministries and authorities aimed at the planning, management and implementation of environmentally beneficial tasks within the

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a c ...

. By the end of 1997, a merger was constructed to join PEnA, the Environmental Planning Department and part of the Ministry of Planning. In August 1998, President Arafat appointed a State Minister for Environment, which granted the collaborative more power than the 1997 merger did. The order gave the Minister authorization over PEnA, which eventually displaced the organization and created MEnA by the end of the month.

Environmental Concerns in Palestine

MEnA sees the most significant environmental issues stemming from the shortage of natural resources, and specifically, water. The coupling of high population growth, many years of negligence, prolonged

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...

and poor educational standards have led to detrimental impacts on agriculture and the economy as a whole, a lack of experts and technicians and little to no environmental awareness throughout the community.

Link to Palestinian-Israeli conflict

MEnA attributes many of Palestine’s water issues to Israel’s occupation of the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

since 1967, which the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

sees as the source of conflict between the two countries. MEnA also sights Israeli occupation as the reason why many Palestinians are sufficient with living a low-quality life with environmental conditions below human dignity.

Funding

External funding for projects comes from the

(UNDP), the

Environmental Systems Research Institute Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., doing business as Esri (), is an American multinational geographic information system (GIS) software company headquartered in Redlands, California. It is best known for its ArcGIS products. With ...

, the

United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

and a variety of international non-profit organizations in the United States and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. Internal funding comes from the Palestinian National Authority, only, and specifically from the Palestinian Adaptation Programme of Action and the Ministry of Planning and Administrative Development.

Threats

The United States contributed $513 million to the Palestinian Authority in 2011, which was intended to resolve problems in the state other than security issues. The United States threatened to bar all future aid if any of its donation went towards security purposes, if Hamas played any role in its distribution or if Palestine sought statehood at the United Nations.

Accomplishments

* 1996 Development of the Palestinian Environmental Authority; several studies completed: one on biodiversity conservation and another on liquid waste treatment, both accompanied with a strategic action plan * 1998 Minister Appointed to the Palestinian Environmental Authority, creating the Ministry of Environmental Affairs * 1999 Palestinian Environmental Strategy Developed, first attempt at strategic planning in environmental sector * 2000 Study on nature during war, which outlines Israel's effect on Palestinian environment * 2003 Through the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

(UNEP), a desk study published on the state of environment in Palestine * 2005 Organizational Structure of Environmental Quality Authority (EQA) approved * 2006 Third national report on biodiversity protection prepared * 2007 Implementation of projection on integrated management of watershed In Far'a Basin in partnership with the EU and

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

* 2008 Reform and development plan on the environment created and approved for implementation between 2009 and 2011 * 2009 Through UNEP, a report developed on environmental impact of the latest Israeli War on Gaza; report published on the assessment of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

hazards in Palestine;

climate change adaptation Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to the effects of climate change, both current and anticipated.IPCC, 2022Annex II: Glossary

Wadi Gaza Wadi Gaza () and Besor Stream (, ) are parts of a river system in the Gaza Strip in Palestine and the Negev region of Israel. Wadi Gaza is a wadi (river valley) that divides the northern and southern ends of the Gaza Strip, whose major tributar ...

; representation of Palestine in several int'l conferences and meetings on environment protection; and working towards national strategy for solid waste management.

Limitations

Despite these accomplishments, there are multiple planned activities that have not and will not be completed for several reasons: political and administrative boundaries, lack of funding, shortage of necessary equipment and laboratories and a lack of specialized experts and technicians. In reference to the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan of 2008-2010 (PRDP), MEnA named 32 priorities in the environmental sector that it saw as most worth the time, effort and financing. But the Environmental Sector Strategy plan of 2010 only adopted one of the submitted proposals; in fact, the one proposal adopted has not even been implemented due to a lack of financial resources. Other setbacks to environment projects are more severe issues on the ground, like the current fuel crisis in Gaza. MEnA warns that the current crisis will lead to unavoidable humanitarian and environmental disaster because of its crippling effects on sanitation and water production. It notes that with prolonged absence of fuel in vital sectors, 190 water wells supplying 1.7 million citizens, 4 sewage treatment stations and tens of mechanisms that move 1,500 tons of solid waste from residential areas to landfills will stop functioning. Without immediate international aid, MEnA says, Israeli occupation will not be forced to respect Palestinians, who are in desperate need of basic electricity and fuel.

Boundaries created by conflict with Israel

The situation in the occupied territories is particularly unique because the Palestinian National Authority has very limited control over its own natural resources and general territory. The Oslo II Accord only granted the Palestinian National Authority free control of “2.7% of the West Bank that fall under ‘Area A’ and – within limits – the 25.1% under ‘Area B.’ For the majority of the territory (72.2%) that belongs to the ‘Area C,’ the Palestinian National Authority has no control. This has very practical implications for decisions like designating and accessing nature reserves and protected areas, establishing landfills, drilling wells or constructing sewage treatment plants. Often, such projects can only be undertaken in the ‘Area C,’ as areas A and B are typically densely populated, built-up areas. However, any projects in Area C require the consent and cooperation of Israeli Authorities”.

References

{{Ministries of the State of Palestine 1996 establishments in Palestine Government ministries of Palestine, Environmental Government ministers of Palestine, *Ministry of Environmental Quality Authority Environment ministries, Palestine Environment of Palestine Organizations based in Al-Bireh