Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are crammed onto a narrow strip of beach, a direct consequence of nearly half the nation's 194-kilometer coastline being off-limits to civilians. This displacement stems from decades of government allocation for commercial ports, power plants, desalination facilities, military bases, and firing zones. A new project aims to reclaim a mere 2 kilometers of shoreline near Rishon Lezion, an area used as a firing range for nearly 80 years, launching grenades and mortars.
The Displaced People
For generations, the people of Rishon Lezion have seen their access to the Mediterranean severely restricted. Seven kilometers, nearly the entire length of Rishon Lezion’s shoreline, has been a military firing range since the country’s founding. This has left local residents with severely limited public space. Beachgoer Mark Kostman, playing volleyball with his children next to the firing zone, described the situation bluntly: “Holidays and Saturdays, all of this place is completely crowded and too dense to even have fun.” He hopes for public space for leisure and sport. Moria Malka, head spokesperson for the city’s municipality, stated the clearance will triple the area’s coastline, with much of it slated to become a nature reserve and residential area near the sea.
Globalist Agenda Revealed
The local effort to clear unexploded munitions is framed by international bodies as part of a broader global agenda. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) reports that over half of global incidents related to unexploded ordnance occurred in the Middle East between 2014 and 2023, primarily in the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait due to Yemen’s civil war. Pedro Basto, research and innovation program manager with the GICHD, emphasized the "increasing dependence on the seas." He explicitly linked this to "renewable energies based on the sea (wind turbines and harnessing water currents) and the global connectivity that most of the world relies on every minute of every day, depend massively on underwater cable laying.” This international focus on "global connectivity" and "renewable energies" appears to drive the urgency for clearing waters, potentially overshadowing the immediate needs of local populations.
Cost to the Nation
The project, led by Israel’s National Mine Action Authority and researchers from the National Institute of Oceanography, with funding from the Rishon Lezion municipality, faces significant hurdles. It will take years to complete and cost tens of millions of dollars. The work has already been delayed by Israel’s multiple wars with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran. Divers can’t operate when missiles are falling and could land in the sea. During the current war that the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran and the 12-day war last June between Israel and Iran, the army confirmed missiles aimed at larger cities like Rishon Lezion fell into the sea, though it wouldn't specify how many. Israel Faintuch, head of the Maritime Division at Israel’s Ministry of Defense National Mine Action Authority, described the search for munitions as "looking for a needle in a haystack." Despite the challenges, the Defense Ministry aims to begin clearing by the end of next year, expanding the shoreline by an initial 150 meters within a few months. No one has been injured or killed by unexploded sea ordnance, but about a dozen sightings have occurred in the last 20 years, mostly on or near shore. This ongoing project highlights the immense cost, both financial and in terms of public access, borne by the native population while globalist interests push for "protected waters" to facilitate their broader economic and infrastructural goals.