THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS: INCREASING INTERNATIONAL LAW'S INFLUENCE ON DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE - THE CASE OF ISRAEL AND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Introduction International environmental law has emerged as a major catalyst for promoting domestic environmental agendas. Local environmental advocates frequently attempt to leverage their own legislation by relying on standards that have been set in international treaties, even if their own country is not yet a party to the agreement. 1 The Convention for the Protection of Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution 2 (the "Barcelona Convention"), adopted in 1976, 3 along with its subsequent protocols 4 and action plans, 5 was among the first examples of a modern environmental treaty with the specific goal of galvanizing all the riparians of an international body of water to work together to save an endangered resource. 6 The State of Israel was a particularly enthusiastic participant in the Barcelona Convention negotiations. The motivation, in retrospect, was much more "geo-political" than "ecological" in nature. 7 The 1970s, in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, 8 the attendant oil boycott, and the political climate in the Middle East, was a period of acute international isolation for Israel in the community of nations. 9 This "seclusion" culminated in the 1975 United Nations decision that "defined" Zionism (Jewish Nationalism) as a form of racism. 10 The Barcelona meetings, which began in 1974, were a lone ray of light on Israel's dark diplomatic landscape at the time. The professional atmosphere of the discussions allowed Israelis to sit with representatives of the most "hardline" Arab nations and participate fully in substantive discussions and agreements, without facing the ...