Harish's acting mayor, Yochai Fara'ji, is one of 110 mayors and council heads who signed a joint letter on Sunday, 11 October 2026, asking party leaders in the upcoming Knesset elections to commit to a national emergency plan against illegal waste dumping and waste fires.
Issued with the group Citizens for Clean Air, the letter asks for a plan within 100 days of the next government taking office, with measurable goals, timelines and dedicated budgets. It calls for more enforcement staff and tools, tougher penalties, stronger fire and rescue services, waste-treatment infrastructure, and clean-up of illegal dump sites. The signatories say dumping and the fires it causes harm air quality and public health, and that local authorities cannot solve the problem alone.
The report does not name the other signatories or say whether any party has responded.
Source: Yedioth Harish, 11 October 2026.
