Current sectionScience & HealthWho Controls Israel's Weather? Knesset Debate Heats Up Over Climate-engineering Conspiracy ClaimsTwo far-right MKs used the Knesset's time to platform conspiracy theorists promoting chemtrail theories, claiming mysterious organizations are spraying dangerous particles into the atmosphere. Science was kindly asked not to interfereShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeMK Yitzhak Kroizer, Dr. Yehuda Turan and MK Limor Son Har-Melech at the Knesset's Interior Affairs and Environment Committee earlier this week. Credit: Olivier FitoussiMK Yitzhak Kroizer, Dr. Yehuda Turan and MK Limor Son Har-Melech at the Knesset's Interior Affairs and Environment Committee earlier this week. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi08:21 PM • July 02 2026 IDTA bizarre debate rife with climate engineering conspiracy theories took place earlier this week in the Knesset, spotlighting the claim that shadowy organizations are attempting to control the weather by spraying particles in the upper atmosphere, thereby negatively affecting public health. This globally, widely-debunked conspiracy theory, also known as "Chemtrails," was promoted by MKs and civilians at the Knesset's Interior Affairs and Environment Committee. The debate was convened at the request of committee chairman MK Yitzhak Kroizer and MK Limor Son Har-Melech, both of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.Haaretz Podcast‘I promise I haven’t joined the Israel haters’: Brad Lander sits down with HaaretzHaaretz Podcast‘I promise I haven’t joined the Israel haters’: Brad Lander sits down with Haaretztotal-- : --time0:00Behind the initiative stands the Israeli organization known as Operation Bluesky, which promotes the chemtrails conspiracy theory, alleging Stratospheric Aerosol Injection is taking place in Israel's skies. At the debate, senior officials from Israel's Health and Environmental Protection ministries, the Meteorological Service, the Hydrological Service and the Innovation, Science and Technology Ministry all declared that no experiment or active measure particle dispersal is taking place. Nevertheless, supporters of the theory, flanked by climate change deniers, were given ample opportunity to present their views. A significant portion of the debate was dedicated to the small Israeli company Stardust Solutions and an article in Haaretz's Hebrew weekend magazine that covered it last week. A Stardust Solutions promotional video.The company claims to have developed a particle that, if millions of tons of it are dispersed in the stratosphere, will reflect most of the incoming solar radiation back into space. Supporters of the conspiracy theory and far-right Knesset members found the article serves as ostensible proof for their suspicions. Ahead of the debate, the Knesset Research and Information Center was asked to examine the issue. Dr. Yehuda Turan, a representative of the center, explained that climate engineering is a research field that deals with the possibility of cooling the Earth by artificial means in order to rapidly curb the effects of the global climate crisis. He emphasized that it is a new, fairly unexplored field and that, to his knowledge, no open-air experiments are being conducted. Nevertheless, MK Son Har-Melech repeatedly asked Turan what method is used in Israel for climate engineering. "As far as I know, it doesn't exist. There are no planes yet that reach these altitudes, and the technology doesn't exist today. It's not practical," he replied. The audience, composed mainly of supporters of the chemtrail conspiracy theory, burst out laughing. The committee meeting earlier this week. Credit: Olivier FitoussiThe committee meeting earlier this week. Credit: Olivier FitoussiRepresentatives of Operation Bluesky spoke next. One of them identified himself simply as "attorney Aryeh," without providing a surname, and said: "As social activists, we encountered the problem of climate engineering. You don't need to be a great scientist to know that on certain days in Israel, there's a feeling of suffocation that doesn't stem from desert storms. There are days when I feel that my climate is unnatural, that it's engineered. For example, on summer days, there's a 'haze' around the sun – no clouds, nothing – and the sun is covered by a white screen. These are aluminum particles. There's no reason for the sun to be covered by a white screen on a summer day. There's no reason for people to feel suffocated. This is a nationwide phenomenon." Another speaker said, "So many people say it's hard to breathe outside. We experience it every few days – there are blue skies, and suddenly it's gray and dirty. Everyone understands that something is happening here."Another activist said he reached out to the Israel Air Force headquarters about the issue but received no response. "You see trails for kilometers, you see that the contrails [cloud trails left by jet planes in the sky] don't disappear," he said. The speakers repeatedly mentioned Stardust Solutions as the one conducting mysterious experiments.Climate engineering, or geoengineering, is a controversial field of research that examines various ways to deal with global warming. Dozens of laboratories at universities worldwide are currently addressing the question of whether and how to artificially cool the Earth, whether by injecting tiny aerosols into the stratosphere or by other creative means. The Orot Rabin Power Plant in Hadera, Israel. Credit: Avi Bar-EliThe Orot Rabin Power Plant in Hadera, Israel. Credit: Avi Bar-EliNone of the ideas has yet been tested thoroughly. Many scientists fear that climate engineering will cause undesirable effects on the climate and environment, and in any case, solar radiation management will not address other problems caused by greenhouse gas emissions, like the increase in ocean acidity.What can be said with certainty is that even if the research reaches the experimental stage, its effect on health will be negligible compared to the billions of tons of pollutants humanity releases into the atmosphere from smokestacks, car emissions, agricultural activity and more. All representatives of government ministries and authorities who appeared at the debate said they were unaware of any spraying being carried out in Israel's skies."We are not aware of any such activity ... The main human intervention in the atmosphere is that we all pollute the Earth with industry and vehicles," said Meteorological Service Director Dr. Amir Givati. Udi Avni, co-CEO of Greenpeace Israel, sharply criticizes the fact that this debate was even held at the Knesset. "This entire debate is pseudoscientific, and the main focus here is on conspiracies ... This is a low point for the Israeli Knesset, giving a platform to such easily refutable conspiracies," he said, and was met with shouts from Operation Bluesky activists and MK Son Har-Melech.In the NewsKnesset Debate Heats Up Over Climate-engineering Conspiracy ClaimsA Thousand Days of Netanyahu's Repulsive Revisionism About October 7'Unlawful': Israeli City Bars Municipal Staff From Political Election ActivityIsrael Has Long Ignored Warnings of a 'Diplomatic Tsunami.' 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