RAMALLAH, November 14, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli authorities have kept a solid waste landfill serving villages north and northwest of Jerusalem closed for the tenth consecutive day, preventing its use and causing waste to pile up, with mounting health and environmental hazards. Israeli forces also suppressed a protest held on Saturday against the closure, arrested the landfill's driver and guard, and seized a waste collection truck.

Mohammad Rabie, head of the Joint Services Council for Solid Waste Management in north and northwest Jerusalem, told WAFA by phone that the landfill, located in the town of Beit Anan, serves 22 municipal and village communities.

He said the council organized a protest involving heads and members of local councils to demand an end to the continued closure. Israeli forces suppressed the demonstrators, detained one of the waste collection vehicles, and arrested the landfill's driver and guard.

Rabie explained that the landfill, which covers an area of 25 dunums (2.5 hectares), is the only available disposal site serving these communities, with no alternative available due to limited residential space and the lack of other suitable land.

He added that local authorities have been operating under emergency conditions since the closure began, as waste collection and disposal services have been disrupted.

The closure has led to mounting waste in residential communities and a growing risk of health and environmental hazards, Rabie warned.

Y.S