By Arieh O'Sullivan

Jerusalem, Israel

The Sea of Galilee: Jesus preached from its shores, his disciples fished in its waters and now the restaurant in Christ's town of Capernaum has been accused of dumping sewage into it.

Christians revere the ancient fishing village on the northern shores of the sacred sweet-water lake as the home of Saint Peter, and other disciples and site of miracles performed by Jesus, including the healing of a feverish people possessed by demons (Luke 4:40).

Today, officials from Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry and Nature and Parks Authority fear that the waters are being polluted because the owner of a restaurant at the park where Capernaum once stood is emptying his septic tanks into the lake, a charge the owner vehemently denies.

Still, charges were leveled at the Capernaum Restaurant at the Magistrate's Court in Nazareth, the town Christ fled before coming to Capernaum (Luke 4:31). The restaurant is on the grounds of a national park and popular with Christian pilgrims and tourists who dine overlook the Sea of Galilee.

But according to the charge sheet, a copy of which was obtained by The Media Line, the owners were periodically siphoning off sewage from their two overflowing septic tanks into a nearby mango grove or in some cases letting the odorous liquid trickle past diners directly into the sea.

"The Sea of Galilee is one of the three primary water sources of the state of Israel … Aside from being an important water source, the Sea of Galilee is a site for tourism and recreation, fishing and a human and religious cradle of culture. Maintaining a stable ecosystem to preserve the high quality of the water is a supreme interest of the state," wrote state attorney Yona Shamir in the charge sheet.

"This on one of the most serious cases of coastal environmental damage that the Sea of Galilee has encountered thus far," the brief claimed. The charges come in a year of bountiful rainfall that has seen the Sea of Galilee regain some of its water after years of drought.

Inspectors said they repeatedly tested the levels of fecal coliform in the water near the restaurant and found on April 3, 2011, 60 million units, more than 800,000 times the acceptable norm. Further tests including one this February also found continued severe contamination.

The charge sheet added that the restaurant had been using secret pipes to divert raw sewage from its swollen septic tanks directly into the lake or to the mango grove along the shore.

"It's all false," Ali Oda, the owner of the restaurant concession, told The Media Line. "For 15 years they have been after me, trying to take over this site and are looking for any excuse."

His lakeside restaurant is highly popular with tens of thousands of tourists who visit the site every year. Israel's Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov, recently hosted dozens of foreign correspondents at the restaurant during the inauguration of the Gospel Trail, which traces the route Jesus may have taken from Nazareth.

"This is one of the most beautiful sites on the Sea of Galilee," Oda said. "I drink this water. I swim in this water with my grandchildren. Every year they are checking and checking the water. I tell you this is one of the most cleanest places in the country. I keep the water clean here. I don't think anyone loves the Sea of Galilee more than I."

Nevertheless, according to the charge sheet, Ali Oda's son, Ahmed, was seen driving a tractor pulling a tank on a trailer with raw sewage siphoned from the septic tank and dumping it into the nearby mango grove and fleeing on foot when inspectors showed up.

Oda faces at least 20 counts of pollution and the charge sheet cites 18 witnesses. But this doesn't seem to faze Oda. He said that his sewage amounted to about two cubic meters a day and was sent to cement septic tanks.

"If there is a leak of sewage it will evaporate in a few seconds," he added. "Let them take me to court. I have no problem going to court. I'm not getting all worked up about it. We have been here for 25 years."

"Those inspectors have nothing to do, so they gang up on me," Oda added. "There is not a drop of sewage coming into the lake. The Parks Authority is trying to force me out and is looking for any excuse to do so. It's all lies. We have the cleanest water in the whole Sea of Galilee."

 

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