Israel Combats Wildfires, Arrests Suspected Arsonists
U.S. Forces, pictured here,
Israel has arrested 35 suspected arsonists as wildfires blaze around the northern port city of Haifa and other locations, causing widespread property damage, forcing evacuations, and leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to vow retribution. The wildfires, which began on November 23, prompted international fire-fighting assistance, as well as a heated political debate between Israeli politicians over how to deter and punish perpetrators.
Sustained by dry heat and winds, the wildfires first sprang up in the city of Zichron Yaakov, soon spreading to Haifa, Israel’s third largest city and an important industrial hub. The fire consumed up to 530 apartments and caused billions of shekels in property damage, forcing 80,000 Haifa residents to evacuate. Other fires burned in Nataf, Tal-El, and several West Bank settlements. Despite over 100 cases of injuries - mainly smoke inhalation - no lives were lost; forty-four died in Israel’s last major fire in December 2010 on Mount Carmel.
The day after the fires broke out, Netanyahu announced at a press conference that arson was an act of terrorism and that the culprits “will be punished for it severely.” Israeli officials estimate that “at least half of the fires” were arson incidents, and at least 35 have been arrested since November 24. Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan said he was considering demolishing arsonists’ homes; others have even suggested revoking the citizenships of Arab-Israeli arsonists. The Palestinian Fatah Party accused Israel of “exploiting the fire” by accusing Palestinians of arson, and Jamal Zahalka of the Palestinian Joint List political alliance warned against jumping to conclusions.
A number of countries, including Egypt, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Turkey, and Russia, as well as the Palestinian Authority, lent Israel firefighters and planes. The U.S. supplied a 747 Supertanker aircraft, the largest firefighting plane in the world, to help Israel quell the wildfires.
Media commentators have drawn parallels between the recent fires and previous attacks. One analyst has dubbed the wildfires the “arsonist intifada” - a reference to the “individual intifada,” the wave of Palestinian knife, gun, and vehicular attacks which began in October 2015. These attacks were attributed to youth frustration, religious radicalization, and social media. The wildfires also sparked some Palestinian celebration on social media, using the Twitter hashtag #Israelisburning.