A huge oil spill in the eastern Mediterranean has caused colossal damage to Israel’s beaches, now gooey with clumps of tar that thousands of volunteers are laboriously picking out of the sand. It has been an unparalleled ecological disaster that has already done, and will continue to do, great harm to the coastal flora and fauna. It has devastated the local economy. For at least a year, and some estimates suggest much longer, tourists and locals will not be able to use the beaches; many will have to seek alternatives abroad. Coastal businesses in Israel, from vacation rentals to restaurants,...