{
  "id": 9133755,
  "title": "Weapon of distraction: How Israel uses greenwashing to mask its climate crimes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/weapon-of-distraction-how-israel-uses-greenwashing-to-mask-its",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T11:16:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/weapon-distraction-israel-greenwashing-detract-human-climate-crimes-Gaza"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Israel's illegal occupation and destruction of Palestinian land are incompatible with environmental justice. This is highlighted by the fire that broke out in an olive grove in the West Bank village of Salim, following an attack by Israeli settlers on May 25, 2025. Israel has long promoted a narrative of sustainability, with a focus on its food technology industry, particularly lab-grown and cell-cultivated foods. Recently, Israeli food technology company Celleste Bio created the world's first lab-grown chocolate bars, claiming its technology eliminates the rainforest reliance of traditional cocoa production. Backed by the multinational Mondelez International, the company's chocolate could soon be available on consumer shelves. Israel is frequently positioned as a leader in global food technology, with advocates highlighting lab-grown foods' resource efficiency and potential alternatives to animal slaughter, amid the ongoing genocide and starvation in Gaza. However, this focus on \"green\" initiatives serves as a distraction from Israel's broader greenwashing agenda, which involves promoting environmentally friendly practices to mask its human rights abuses against Palestinians. In reality, the state's initiatives are built on the theft of Palestinian resources, undermining their sustainability efforts. The water and energy Israel claims to conserve are often redirected from Palestinian communities, denying them access to their natural resources. Israel's wars further exacerbate environmental damage. In September 2025, the Palestinian Initiative for Climate Strategy found that Israel and its allies owe $148 billion in \"military and conflict-related climate reparations\" to the Palestinian people since the 1948 Nakba. During Israel's war on Gaza, over 200,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped, causing ecological collapse. Oxfam reports that Gaza's wastewater treatment facilities have been destroyed, causing an environmental and public health crisis. Israel's denial of fresh-water access pushes Palestinians to rely on desalination, which can damage marine ecosystems and ocean health. Meanwhile, Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and policies of water apartheid further harm the environment. Human rights organization Al-Haq explains how Israel's water denial leads Palestinians to rely on desalination, a process that can cause substantial damage to marine ecosystems and ocean health. Israel's cultivated food industry also contributes to normalizing the occupation, reinforcing the illusion of \"green\" and \"sustainable\" practices without addressing the harm inflicted on the environment and Palestinians.",
  "summary": "Weapon of distraction: How Israel uses greenwashing to mask its climate crimes Submitted by Asma Barakat on Fri, 09/04/2026 - 15:49 Israel's illegal occupation and destruction of Palestinian land are incompatible with environment justice. Consumers must wake up to this fact A fire blazes in an olive grove in the village of Salim, in the occupied West Bank, after an Israeli settler attack on 25…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}