Israel committed to Paris Agreement despite US withdrawal

Israel has announced its commitment to Paris Agreement despite the US withdrawal, the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a statement.

Israel's statement came a day after the US announced that it had begun the process of withdrawing from the agreement, Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, Israel plans to expand its commitment to the Agreement, which was signed at 2016, including the addition of targets for 2030.

"Israel attaches great importance to dealing with the climate crisis and considers itself committed to meeting its obligations in the agreement," the statement said.

Israel's Environmental Protection Minister Zeev Elkin said that "beyond the environmental aspect, Paris Agreement provides economic opportunities for Israel to become an environmental technology superpower. In recent years, we have invested a great deal of money in this field and reached breakthrough agreements with China on this issue".

"The agreement creates a golden opportunity for Israeli technologies to enter the global cleantech market and make the field of environmental technologies one of the growth engines of the Israeli economy," he added.

Elkin noted that "in recent years, we have been working to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and to significantly raise electricity generation targets from renewable energy and to oblige green building".

The ministry noted that "compliance with the Paris Agreements is an international interest, but first and foremost an Israeli national, economic and social interest, stemming from the close connection between a clean environment for economy and social growth".