Part of a kurkar cliff collapsed Monday morning (Monday) near Blue Bay beach, on the boundary between Netanya and the Emek Hefer Regional Council. Many tons of soil and rocks gave way, with some of the boulders rolling down to the shoreline and blocking sections of the beach.
The government-owned Mediterranean Coastal Cliffs Protection Company said the collapse was caused by the lack of land-based protective measures, which led to instability. “The recent rain system and stormy weather caused the cliff to ‘swell’ and collapse,” the company said, noting that similar cliff collapses have occurred in the area in recent years.
Cliff collapses onto Netanya beach
(Videos: Kuti Saada, Noa Ezra, Government Company for the Protection of Mediterranean Coast Cliffs, Spokesperson for the Emek Hefer Regional Council)
About 45 kilometers of Israel’s coastline are characterized by unstable coastal cliffs rising between 10 meters and 45 meters above sea level. Over recent decades, these cliffs have been collapsing and retreating eastward at a rate of several tens of centimeters per year, with the pace significantly faster in some locations.
“It was a Hanukkah miracle. Many people hike here, and at the time of the collapse no one was in that exact spot,” a Netanya resident told ynet. “This could have ended in disaster, with people buried under the soil and rocks.” Kuti Saada, who posted footage from the scene, wrote: “The cliff collapsed. Crazy, unbelievable. It blocked the entire beach.”
According to Hizky Sivak, deputy head of the Emek Hefer Regional Council, responsibility for land-based cliff protections currently lies with local authorities but is not funded. “The problem of collapsing cliffs is a well-known national issue. Council head Galit Shaul and the Coastal Authorities Forum are raising it in every possible forum. The state must budget for it, because this is a real danger. Everyone knows it’s dangerous and requires treatment. We are constantly running to Knesset discussions as well,” he said.
He added: “Marine protections, such as breakwaters, have been built along the cliffs. But what sounds a bit strange is that the government company for the cliffs deals with marine protections. It asks for authority but has not been given responsibility for land-based protections. Local authorities are left to cope without budgets, with nothing.”
Netanya Municipality said in a statement that “a report was received by the Beaches Department inspectors regarding a significant cliff collapse on the Netanya–Emek Hefer border. The area has been fenced off pending inspections. It should be emphasized that the municipality continues to demand that the state provide an immediate response to reinforce the cliffs.”
In a statement, the Emek Hefer Regional Council said that its inspectors arrived at the scene immediately and ruled out the presence of trapped individuals.
“We repeatedly warn about the danger of coastal cliff collapses, and this time it happened in our area after serious incidents in neighboring authorities," council head Galit Shaul said. "The condition of Israel’s coastal cliffs is deteriorating, and this is a national issue that requires an urgent solution. Even in the new state budget, no funds were allocated to reinforce the cliffs and prevent their collapse, neither in the Environmental Protection Ministry’s budget nor in the Interior Ministry’s. The writing is on the wall. Cliff collapses have already claimed lives. The next disasters are only a matter of time.”
As Shaul noted, cliff collapses have previously been fatal. In 2009, a 26-year-old man was killed when a cliff north of Netanya collapsed, burying him and a group of young people in their 20s who had set up tents at the site.
In July 2020, the State Comptroller published a scathing report on the condition of Israel’s coastal cliffs. The report stated that, although the cliffs have been collapsing and retreating eastward for decades due to natural forces and human activity, the government ministries responsible for promoting cliff protection, along with other bodies, failed to take sufficient action to protect the cliffs, prevent their collapse and safeguard public safety.
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman warned at the time of the severe consequences and danger to human life if the issue is not addressed. He wrote that serious harm could occur, including risks to human life, destruction of buildings and infrastructure, loss of land, damage to national parks and archaeological sites, and harm to the image and development potential of local authorities along the coast. The problem is particularly acute in areas where population centers are located close to the cliffs.