In a special and scathing report recently published by the State Comptroller, serious failures are exposed in the way the state supervises the activities of the Dead Sea Works company. The report points to improper conduct by various authorities, resulting in environmental damage and loss of revenue to the state amounting to tens of millions of shekels.

Dead Sea Works, which operates under a concession for mineral extraction in the region, holds an enormous area 11 times the size of Tel Aviv. Despite the significant scope of operations, the report reveals that government ministries have systematically failed to supervise the company's activities.

One of the most disturbing findings concerns the conduct of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. According to the report, the ministry did not ensure necessary environmental conditions were established in the business license of Dead Sea Works. The direct result of this negligence is a series of malfunctions and leaks in the company's infrastructure, which led to extensive environmental damage in the ecologically sensitive area of the Dead Sea.

The picture emerging from the report is particularly worrying given that this is an area of unique environmental, touristic, and geological importance. The Dead Sea, which already suffers from severe ecological problems and an accelerated drying process in recent decades, has been further damaged as a result of the lack of proper supervision.

In addition to failures in environmental protection, the report also reveals problematic conduct by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. According to the Comptroller, the ministry does not properly supervise the mining operations carried out by Dead Sea Works. The assessment presented in the report is particularly troubling: the state has lost approximately 120 million shekels over the past decade because the company was not required to pay for the mining operations it performed.

The State Comptroller emphasizes in the report the importance of effective government supervision of companies exploiting natural resources belonging to the public. The failures exposed raise difficult questions about the balance between economic development and environmental protection, and about how the state protects the public interest in managing natural resources.

We have formally approached the relevant authorities for their response to the serious findings, but as of the time of publication, no response has been received. It should be noted that the report requires the authorities to respond and present a plan to correct the deficiencies, but it is not yet clear whether and how government ministries will deal with the sharp criticism.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection will need to explain how malfunctions and leaks were allowed to cause widespread environmental damage, and why sufficient environmental conditions were not established in the company's business license. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure will have to deal with claims regarding the loss of tens of millions of shekels to the state treasury due to lack of supervision of mining operations.

This report joins a series of audit reports published by the State Comptroller in recent years on environmental protection and supervision of natural resource exploitation. As evident from the report, despite some progress in the field, there are still significant gaps in the state's supervisory capacity.

While Dead Sea Works continues to generate significant profits from exploiting natural resources in the region, it appears that the public interest – both economically and environmentally – is not receiving proper protection from the authorities entrusted with this responsibility.

The report illustrates the undisputed necessity of autonomous audit institutions, such as the State Comptroller's Office, which can expose structural deficiencies in government mechanisms and implement values of transparency and accountability in the process of managing public assets. In the face of a lack of effective state supervision, the State Comptroller stands as the last line of defense for public rights and the public interest.

The insights arising from the report highlight the necessity for strengthening supervision and enforcement mechanisms, deepening transparency in the conduct of corporations exploiting natural resources belonging to the public, and carefully maintaining an appropriate balance between promoting economic development and preserving environmental values. The task now facing the authorities is to convert the findings of the report into an effective action plan that will prevent further damage to the ecological system and public resources.