The government has canceled plans for a new civilian airport in Jezreel Valley in Sunday's cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli opposed the plans, with the support of Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman, saying that Israel "must protect the few rural, open, agricultural and green areas it has left."
"The need to establish another airport is undisputed but the decision should preserve all of Israel's national interests," Michaeli added.
A new airport in Jezreel Valley, planned to be an extension of Ben-Gurion Airport, would have affected as much as 185,000 dunams of land.