A new cement plant near the Khatsatson Stream in the Judean Desert has sparked fears that it would cause severe environmental damage. The plant is set to be constructed in Area B, which is jointly administered by Israel and Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA), and is a PA project. Local Bedouin joined with the Israeli right-wing organization Regavim to protest the construction of the plant. The Bedouin fear that the plant will cause health problems and pollution that will force them to find new pastures to graze their cattle. An Arutz Sheva reporter went on a tour of the area with Regavim, where he spoke to a local Bedouin individual. The man asked that his face not be displayed because of the threats the locals face from the PA. "Everyone knows how beautiful the Judean Desert is. Now all the nature will be destroyed. If they see my face, the Authority will cause me problems." he told Arutz Sheva. According to the Bedouin, the planned cement plant will cover a vast area of 3,500 dunam (864 acres). That is six times larger than the largest cement plant in Israel. According to information obtained by Regavim, the entrepreneurs behind the plant are no less than the sons of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Hundreds of members of the tribe which the PA plans to relocate from the area recently protested the plant. They threw stones at surveyors and burned tires. Armed PA police dispersed the crowds. Regavim says that the Oslo Accords forbid construction by both sides in the area. Boaz Arazi, an attorney representing Regavim, appealed last week to the Defense Ministry, the Environmental Protection Ministry, and the Civil Administration, asking them to take the steps necessary to halt the construction of the plant in order to protect Israeli, environmental, and public interests.
