Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection (known until 2006 as the Ministry of the Environment) started out as the Environmental Protection Service, established in 1973. The latter served as an advisory body to the government and to decision-makers on environmental and planning issues. It initially functioned as part of the Prime Minister's Office, and later came under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior.
The Ministry of the Environment was set up in 1988 as a direct consequence of coalition demands for an additional ministry so that Roni Milo could be appointed as a minister in the Unity Government. In a certain sense, the Ministry's origins were a sign of things to come—a frequent turnover of ministers, again in accordance with the needs of the governing coalition. In its first 18 years (1988–2006), the Ministry was headed by ten different ministers, with an average tenure of less than 2 years (actually 21 months; see chart below). A number of ministers saw the position as less prestigious than that of other ministries (Education, Interior) or as a stepping stone to more senior posts, while others considered it a calling.
Ministers of the Environment and their Tenures, 1988–2006
|
Length of Tenure
(in months) |
Dates of Tenure |
Minister |
Knesset |
|
16 |
Dec. 1988–March 1990 |
Roni Milo |
12 |
|
25 |
June 1990–July 1992 |
Yitzhak Shamir* |
|
|
6 |
July 1992–Dec.1992 |
Ora Namir |
13 |
|
42 |
Dec. 1992–June 1996 |
Yossi Sarid |
|
|
35 |
June 1996–July 1999 |
Rafael Eitan |
14 |
|
21 |
July 1999–Mar. 2001 |
Dalia Itzik |
15 |
|
25 |
Mar. 2001–Feb. 2003 |
Tzachi Hanegbi |
|
|
20 |
Feb. 2003–Oct. 2004 |
Yehudit Naot |
16 |
|
3 |
Oct. 2004–Dec. 2004 |
Ilan Shalgi** |
|
|
11 |
Dec. 2004–Nov. 2005 |
Shalom Simhon |
|
|
5 |
Jan. 2006–May 2006 |
Gideon Ezra |
|
|
|
May 2006–present |
Gideon Ezra |
17 |
Source: Knesset site, List of Ministers of the Environment (in Hebrew):
http://www.knesset.gov.il/govt/heb/GovtByMinistry.asp?ministry=22
* Held the Environment portfolio while serving as Prime Minister in a narrow coalition.
** Acting minister.
Ministry Budget
The most significant change in the Ministry's budget took place in the period from 1992 to 1996 (under Yossi Sarid; see figure 1, below)—an increase from roughly NIS 25 million to NIS 160 million. Nonetheless, the Ministry's budget for 2006 stood at 0.06% of the national budget. Despite the significant shift, this rate of expenditure on the environment is lower than that of other Western states, including Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States, where more than 20% of the budget is allocated to environmental issues.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection is in the forefront of government policy on environmental matters. Unlike economic, foreign affairs, and defense issues, environmental concerns must fight for their place on the national agenda. Consequently, the power of the Environmental Protection Ministry (which is also reflected in its budget) is affected—more so than with other Ministries such as Finance or Defense—by the extent of involvement in, and commitment to, the environment on the part of the person who holds the office.