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Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan: "The government took a historic decision today, which gives preference to the public interest and corrects past mistakes made at the expense of the public. Israel's beaches are a scarce resource and we must do everything possible to preserve open and equal access to them for the public as a whole." On July 11, 2010, Israel's cabinet approved a resolution to return the Palmahim Beach plan to the Central District Planning Commission for reconsideration, including the possibility of changing the land use designation to public open space. At the meeting, Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman made it clear that the Ministry of Environmental Protection may submit an alternative plan which will designate the beach as an public open space and that the district commission may take any decision including changing the designation of the area. Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, who submitted the proposal for the government resolution, has already instructed the Nature and Parks Authority to submit a plan for designating the area as a national park and an open public beach. On his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed the importance he attributes to the preservation of the country' coastal strip as a public space open to the public at large. Palmachim Beach, about ten kilometers south of Tel Aviv, is recognized as a natural and unique coastal strip that serves about a million residents of the surrounding towns of Rishon LeZion, Rehovot, Yavne, Ness Ziona, Gan Raveh and others. It is one of the few open spaces left in the center of Israel, which integrates nature, landscape and heritage values adjacent to the seacoast. In 2000, a plan for the construction of a 350-room holiday resort on the Palmachim Beach was approved, which was to be built on a 7-hectare area, only 100 meters from the coasts. Sale of the land to developers, at a sum of only $8 million, was completed prior to the enactment of the Law for the Protection of the Coastal Environment in 2004. The momentous cabinet decision, hailed as a major environmental victory, was preceded by staunch opposition to the plan from various quarters including Israel?s former State Comptroller, the Minister of Environmental Protection, environmental organizations and green activists.
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