Photographer: Hagai Karp, Rosh Haniqra
Bezet Beach is one of the few beautiful and quiet beaches left in Israel and in the Western Galilee. It is an open, natural beach, with a rustic feeling of serenity. In addition to having rich indigenous plant growth, Bezet Beach is one of the few traditional spots where female sea turtles come to lay their eggs each year. Bezet Beach is a free gathering place for all Israeli citizens, but Western Galilee residents in particular, and it stands out in its uniqueness on the shoreline between Rosh Haniqra and the Carmel Beaches in Haifa.
Residents of our area along with environmentalists demonstrated and held a public outcry for 3.5 years against development of the beach and its surrounding area. We succeeded in rescinding the public bid that the Israel Land Commission opened in 2007, whereby 206 dunams of land were sold to entrepreneurs to build 4 tourist villages of more than a thousand meter squares of construction. This public bid was based on old plans from the year 1996 (a plan that would never pass the rigorous environmental standards of the Beach Law from 2004). The Economic Forum of the Matte Asher Regional Council supported this new plan, despite the staunch resistance of tens of thousands of Regional Council inhabitants as well as citizens from our area and all of Israel, who signed a petition against the plan. In addition, thousands came to the large 2 public events on the beach and sent letters against the proposed entrepreneurial plan to Members of the Knesset. In an exceptional and unprecedented step, the CEO of the Israel Land Commission, Mr. Benzi Liberman, decided “to return the beach to the public” in 2011.
Unfortunately, the negotiations over the amount of settlement, which included the mediation process that did not succeed, stalled. In October 2013, we were informed that the entrepreneurs have made repeated requests to the Matte Asher Local Committee for construction approvals. Their requests have not yet been granted (additional factors for this delay are that the Mayor of Matte Asher suddenly died and the ensuing elections for a replacement
Even if at the last minute a solution can be reached, the total area under discussion is just a small part of a much larger plan from 1992, which includes an entertainment park and entertainment rides on the water line. Until this 1992 plan is cancelled and there is a permanent change in the zoning of the land – our struggle will continue.
The Working Committee of the Western Galilee Inhabitants to Save Bezet Beach are public representatives in the Steering Committee that the Matte Asher Regional Council established in February 2012 (as a result of public outcry) in order to form a master plan for the beaches of Matte Asher. Members of the Working Committee have been doing their best to uphold the principles of transparency as well as maintaining a holistic outlook and openness.
In May 2014, the team of planners submitted a new Master Plan to the Steering Committee. It has been recommended not to establish a tourist village on Bezet Beach and to focus primarily on developing the area of Achziv Tourist Village. The Master Plan has been approved by the Steering Committee and now needs to receive approval from the planning organizations. It is important to stress that even if the new Master Plan will be approved, the need to compensate the entrepreneurs of plan 605/ג still exists.
