A new government company is to be formed to cope with the erosion and possible collapse of the sandstone cliffs that line the Mediterranean shore, ministers in the “socioeconomic cabinet” decided on Tuesday.

The new body is to be called The Government Company for Protecting the Cliffs of the Mediterranean Shore, Ltd. It will be responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining sea defenses against the cliffs’ collapse, which will include building breakwaters. Launching and operating the company will require government allocations totaling some NIS 500 million over the next few years.

There are those who argue, however, that building breakwaters, which is one of the solutions the government plans to pursue, is liable to harm adjacent beaches and increase the risk of drowning.

The decision to back Environmental Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan’s proposal to form the company follows a comprehensive evaluation of the condition of the coastal ridge, which was conducted by an interministerial team that found the cliff is retreating at a rate of 40 to 50 centimeters a year. This is the effect of acts such as building marinas and sea structures that block the flow of sand to the shore, which exposes the cliffs directly to the force of the waves and has led to the collapse of some parts of the cliffs.

The collapse of these cliffs pose a risk to billions of shekels’ worth of property as well as to human life. The problem is most acute in urban areas such as Ashkelon, Herzliya, Netanya and the shore areas of Hadera and Beit Yanai.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.

We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.

This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.

With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Make a matched gift today.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT