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Israelis seek to break record for biggest single-day beach clean-up
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Israeli volunteers take part in a mass beach clean up during a one-day operation launched by some 20 Israeli associations to 'beat the world record' for beach cleaning, on the shore of the the central city of Tel Aviv on October 30, 2020. (AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)
T
housands of Israeli volunteers hit the coast on Friday in a bid to break the world record for the largest beach clean-up in a single day.
Organizers hoped to mobilize more than 20,000 volunteers and beat the US record of 16,000 for such a clean-up, Michael Raphael, who was responsible for the initiative, told AFP.
Some 20 Israeli associations set up dozens of tents along the Mediterranean country's coastline and at the Sea of Galilee for the day-long event.
"Record or not, the main goal is to raise awareness -- for people to reflect and get involved," said Ephy Shapiro, a Tel Aviv resident and a member of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
Read also: Eleven-year-old climate activist leads beach cleanup in Hong Kong
"Against pollution, collective action is always more powerful," he told AFP at one of the tents, where he was handing volunteers bags reading "Do not litter!" in Hebrew.
Yaniv Sharabi and his young daughter were among those scouring the palm-lined beach in Tel Aviv for everything from bottles and bags to disposable personal protective equipment like face masks.
"Adults must set an example for children," said Sharabi, adding that he had decided to take part after seeing signs near the beach.
A World Wildlife Fund report last year said Tel Aviv's coastline was the third-worst in the Mediterranean for plastic pollution, behind Turkey's Cilicia region and Barcelona in Spain.
