Some of Israel's beaches are finally reopening after being devastated last month by an oil spill which covered 160 kilometers of the country's shores in toxic lumps of tar, the Health, Interior and Environmental Protection ministries announced in a joint statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, chemical tests performed on the ocean water in beaches across Israel has found some beaches which had levels of tar which were deemed "non-toxic," allowing for bathing, diving and other beach activities.
The following beaches have been completely cleaned and are safe to reopen:
In northern Israel, the northern Galey Galil beach in Nahariya, the Argaman and Tmarim Beaches in Acre, and the Bat-Galim Western Station Beach, the Hof HaCarmel Southern Station Beach and Dado Zamir Station 1 in Haifa are all eligible to reopen.
In Central Israel, the Nof Yam and HaSharon Beaches in Herzliya and the Tel Baruch Station 1 Beach in Tel Aviv are eligible to reopen.
In Southern Israel, the Lido, Oranim, Kshatot and Riviera Beaches in Ashdod, The North Delilah, South Dalya and National Park and Zikim Beaches in Ashkelon are eligible to reopen.
Regarding the rest of the country's beaches, the statement said that cleaning operations are still underway, and that the public should beware of going to polluted beaches.
The statement also emphasized that new lumps of tar from the oil spill can still be seen arriving from certain shallow areas of beaches, recommending Israelis keep up-to-date with government safety guidelines.