Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg accused Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan of presenting a misleadingly negative view of the ministry’s relations with the Palestinian Authority.
“In his speech to the Security Council, the ambassador spoke about information he received from the Environmental Protection Ministry, but he used it in a manner that is incompatible with the truth and in a style that does not represent the minister’s position,” Zandberg’s office told the Times of Israel on Thursday night.
Erdan spoke out about a meeting Zandberg had last summer with Minister Jamil Mtour of the PA Environment Quality Authority.
“This was the first meeting of its kind since 2014. And it wasn’t because of Israel. Minister Zandberg presented numerous collaborative initiatives regarding the environment and waste management, but Israel is still waiting for a response from the Palestinians.”
Zandberg’s office said that in fact, the sides have already launched joint projects in the fields of “environment and waste” and that “work is progressing well in a different atmosphere than before that is based on the understanding that climate change has no borders and that the two peoples will benefit from this collaboration.”
“The projects will continue to move forward in the spirit of cooperation for the benefit of the environment and for the benefit of the State of Israel and the Palestinians,” the statement added.
Erdan’s office declined a request for comment.