Israel issues ‘unusual’ gag order on investigation into disastrous oil slick

Israel issues ‘unusual’ gag order on investigation into disastrous oil slick

An investigation into a disastrous oil slick affecting Israel's entire 120-mile coastline, as well as other areas in the eastern Mediterranean, is the subject of an “extraordinary” seven-day gag order, preventing media from publishing details from the investigation, according to reports.Around 1,000 tonnes of tar from the oil spill is believed to have washed up, covering wildlife including baby turtles and fish which have been found covered in thick black oil, which conservationists have warned could take “decades” to cleanup.But on Monday, in what Israeli news outlets including the Times of Israel and Haaretz have described as “extraordinary” and an “unusual move”, the country's environment ministry said a judge had issued a gag order on publishing any detail related to the investigation, including anything which could identify any suspects, the vessel involved, their destination, cargo or port of departure.According to Haaretz, the ministry said that “publications at this sensitive stage could harm a complex investigation with international aspects”.The ministry is leading the investigation into the cause of the oil spill, which is believed to have taken place between 6 - 10 of February, and first came to light late last week, when a 17-metre (55ft) fin whale washed up dead