Israel Wildfires

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Massive wildfires broke out near Jerusalem on Wednesday, forcing Israel to cancel its Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony as road closures and mass evacuations paralyzed the country, turning what should have been a festive celebration into a grim echo of the massive Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks.

"Our volunteers were searching through cars abandoned on the highway for bodies; it brought them back to Oct. 7," United Hatzalah ambulance service President Eli Beer told Fox News Digital.

The wildfires broke out in a forest near Jerusalem and rapidly spread with the aid of strong winds. The blaze caused the evacuation of at least 10 communities and the closure of the Route 1 highway, which connects Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

Israeli media reported that 163 fire and rescue crews and 12 aircraft had been deployed to combat the flames. At least 13 people were injured as of Wednesday afternoon, but no fatalities were reported. At least 2,900 acres have been burned by the blaze so far, according to the Jewish National Fund.

The Jewish state was forced to cancel its annual torch-lighting ceremony to commemorate the signing of its declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, or the 5th of Iyar on the Jewish calendar, and instead aired footage of the rehearsal ceremony. Numerous other Independence Day festivities were canceled as Israeli firefighters struggled to bring the conflagration under control.

Earlier in the day, Palestinian terrorist group Hamas had been trying to incite residents of the West Bank to commit acts of arson via social media, and a man was arrested for allegedly trying to light a fire in an open field in southern Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Post reported. It is unclear what started the fires.

Videos from the scene show flames engulfing hills near Jerusalem, burnt trees and the fire spreading down a large stretch of highway. Israel has appealed to the international community for help fighting the fires.

"Over the past few hours, I held a series of phone calls with my counterparts from Argentina, France, Italy, the UK, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Azerbaijan and North Macedonia, to request aerial assistance in dealing with the wildfires near Jerusalem," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted on X. "I thank all those countries that already promised assistance to fight the blaze and to those currently looking into our requests with great will to help. Israel is fortunate to have true friends who stand by her in times of need."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is consulting with senior members of his Cabinet about the fires. Beer told Fox News Digital that United Hatzalah teams evacuated a school and a facility for the elderly that housed many Holocaust survivors and residents on ventilators.

Jerusalem District Fire Department Commander Shmulik Friedman told the press on Wednesday that the wildfires may be "the largest fire ever in the country" and warned that high winds could exacerbate the blaze later in the day. He also warned that Israel was "far from control" of the fires.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that 18 people had been arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires outside Jerusalem, with one allegedly caught in the act of arson, as the country battled its “largest ever blaze”.

While the exact cause of the fires near Latrun was still unclear, Mr Netanyahu said the blaze was “not a simple thing”.

“There is harm to nature and also harm to people, and we are holding 18 people at the moment who are suspected of arson, one of whom was caught in the act,” he said.

The Jerusalem Chronicle earlier reported that a 50-year-old man had been arrested for allegedly trying to start a fire near southern Jerusalem.

Fires burned along Route 1 to Tel Aviv, prompting panic as people fled on foot. More than a dozen people were hospitalised, among them two pregnant women and two infants, according to the national emergency service Magen David Adom.

Authorities, however, said it was too early to definitively determine whether the fires were deliberately caused. Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir asked for military helicopters to assist in evacuating people from affected areas.

He hinted that arson could be behind the fires and urged security services to classify any arsonist as a domestic terrorist. Mr Netanyahu warned the western wind could push the fires towards the outskirts of Jerusalem, “and even into the city itself”.

“We need to bring as many fire engines as possible and create firebreaks well beyond the current fire lines,” the Israeli leader said in a video statement.

“We are now in a national emergency, not just a local one. The priority right now is defending Jerusalem.”

Although authorities allowed some evacuated residents to return home on Thursday, they warned of a possible resurgence of wildfires due to rising temperatures and winds.

The arrests coincided with Independence Day on 1 May. Shin Bet, the domestic security agency, said it was aiding police in the search for other suspects who might have ignited some of the fires.

The Fire and Rescue Services urged the public to avoid parks and forests and exercise extreme caution with barbecues as the Independence Day, usually celebrated with family cookouts, coincided with heightened fire risk.

Several countries, including Italy, Croatia, France, Spain, and Romania, said they were sending firefighting aircraft to assist Israel.

Israeli officials said 10 firefighting planes were active on Thursday morning, with eight more expected to arrive throughout the day.

Fire chief Eyal Caspi warned that “our aircraft can’t do anything right now due to the weather conditions”. “Our goal is to save lives,” he said. “We are apparently facing the largest fire in Israel in a decade.”

Zvi Sukkot, a far-right lawmaker, sent a letter asking Mr Netanyahu to impose a curfew on Palestinian villages in the West Bank.

“There is a real concern, based on past experience, that Palestinians will try to ignite more fires in Judea and Samaria and throughout Israel,” he said, using the biblical name for the area. “To prevent such occurrences, a curfew must be imposed immediately on Judea and Samaria, and a blockade must be imposed on the Palestinian villages.” There were conflicting reports and unconfirmed rumours about the origin of the fire but authorities say the cause was still under investigation.

The police said they had deployed in force around the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and in the Jerusalem Hills, asking the public to “avoid travelling to the area”.

The Israeli occupation regime's large-scale planting of European pine trees, non-native to Palestine, as part of efforts to reshape the landscape and obscure depopulated Palestinian villages, has significantly contributed to the region’s vulnerability to wildfires.

Unlike native Mediterranean flora, these fast-growing pines are highly flammable, with resinous wood and dense needle litter that ignites easily under dry, hot conditions. As climate change intensifies heatwaves and droughts, these monoculture forests have become tinderboxes, fueling massive, uncontrollable fires across the region and threatening both natural ecosystems and nearby communities.

As reported by Al Mayadeen English

What role do you think settlers arson attacks against Palestinian farms has contributed to the fires?

https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestini ... er-attack/

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sett ... ing-stones

What role do you think Israel's policy of planting non-native pines has contributed?


https://english.almayadeen.net/news/env ... li-occupat

Americans should not be lecturing other countries about wildfire prevention.

We elected Trump twice. I'm not sure anybody should listen to anything we say.