Last trip and farewell: Idit Silman flies to Cyprus for three nights with her team

Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman is flying to Cyprus for three nights with two of her aides to participate in an international exercise for preventing marine oil pollution, despite not being reelected to the Knesset and expected to leave her post soon. The exercise, involving Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, France, Egypt, the United States, and the United Kingdom, aims to strengthen regional preparedness for a large-scale marine pollution event. The article notes that despite the drill, Israel is not prepared for such an event due to neglect and lack of funding for the national program for preventing marine oil pollution (the "Talamat"), which requires about 100 million shekels. Emergency stations in Haifa and Ashkelon have not been established, and vessels, equipment, and warning systems are lacking. The Ministry of Environmental Protection admitted in October 2023 that Israel is not prepared for a national marine oil pollution event.