As if it was not enough for security officials to clarify that the Minister of Environmental Protection’s determination, Gamliel revealed, that coastal pollution is an act of terrorism originating in Iran is not based on any solid intelligence known to the security establishment, tonight (Thursday) the minister finds himself attacked by the community Environmental organizations. An independent investigation conducted by Greenpeace, the results of which were published today, identified another suspicious ship near the oil slick at the same location and dates as suspecting the “Emerald”, the same Libyan ship that left Iran and the official investigation points to as the culprit.
“The investigation did not include basic tests to confirm the culprits”
It is a “rumina”, a ship that carries the Iranian flag and is operated by a company based in Lebanon. The romina was previously flagged by U.S. authorities as a ship that violated the international embargo on Syria. “This oil tanker was observed in our area as early as November 2020 and now also near the source of the oil spill in the Mediterranean identified by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on February 5. The rumina left Iran on December 25. Crossed the Suez Canal on January 9 and then turned off its monitoring system (AIS), its next signal was on February 4 near the oil spill area. This is not the first time the Iranian oil tanker has operated like this, “the organization says.
Greenpeace is appealing the results of the official investigation and clarifying: “In any investigation of an incident of this type of oil spill, the only way to confirm the source of the pollution is by cross-examining laboratory samples of the chemical composition of the tar from the shores and samples of the ship.” It did not include this activity but was done by elimination only. “
Moreover, the bodies in Israel that could have taken care of such a sample were not involved in the investigation. Nor were the findings of the tar tests sampled at the beaches by the Ministry of Environmental Protection published. Only a laboratory sample of the materials can determine with certainty that Emerald is to blame for the oil spill in the Mediterranean. We call for the immediate start of international investigations into the matter. “
Gila Gamliel (Photo: Ariel Beshor)“Gamliel is trying to amass political capital at the expense of the disaster.” In her office backs up: “Environmental terrorism for everything”
In light of their investigative findings, Greenpeace attacks the minister’s unequivocal determination that this is an intentional act of terrorism and emphasizes: “Minister Gamliel’s statement that the tar crime on the shores of Israel is an ‘act of terrorism of Iran’ is scandalous and has no factual basis at this stage. Underestimates the value of the well-known and widespread phenomenon of polluting sea pollution from oil spills by ships. “
“This is a focus on care and not mainly, as the real problem here is the abandonment that is celebrated in the field of production and transportation of fossil fuels, with the supervision of companies and cargo ships deficient and the Mediterranean becoming the garbage can of the oil and gas industry.”
The organization further emphasizes that the spillage of oil into the sea by tankers is a matter of routine and that the tar disaster is undoubtedly an environmental crime, but in any case there is no factual basis for it being a terrorist activity other than the country of origin of the ship.
“The minister’s conduct on the issue smells of election propaganda and an attempt to amass political capital at the expense of the severe ecological disaster while harming Israel’s credibility in the international arena and in particular the credibility of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.”
The Ministry of Environmental Protection tells Maariv that the very spill of oil in the middle of the sea is an act of environmental terrorism for everything whose damages to the shores should be brought to justice and that the findings of the professional investigation and the culprits were reported to the public after a comprehensive professional investigation with the help of relevant international sources.
However, we did not find at the professional level of the ministry a satisfactory answer that could confirm Minister Gamliel’s determination regarding the malicious intent of the polluting tanker, a determination from which the ministry also has reservations.
The minister herself insists: “All the conduct of the ship is deliberate. There is a direct connection to Iran, not an unknown one. There is room for an emergency discussion of all government bodies, including security bodies, for a broader understanding of Israel’s economic threats that are not just environmental.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has revealed the analysis of the movement of the suspected Libyan tanker “Emerald” and an inspection carried out by TankerTrackers and handed over to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, shows that the tanker was documented on January 17 off the Iranian island of Kharg in the Persian Gulf. It is estimated that in this mooring, the tanker loaded Iranian crude oil that eventually reached the shores of Israel.
A satellite photo was transferred to the office, according to which on February 14, the emerald tanker transferred crude oil to a tanker carrying an Iranian flag called LOTUS. Satellite imagery shows the connection of the two tankers (STS) in the heart of the sea, and apparently a discharge of Iranian crude oil into the tanker.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection said in response to Greenpeace’s investigation: “The ministry agrees with Greenpeace’s assessment that the Emerald tanker is responsible for the pollution. Naturally and for obvious reasons, the ministry or another official on its behalf did not come to Iran to take samples from the crude oil in the tanker.” The ministry also stated that the evidence in its possession is solid, even though it is circumstantial evidence. “