As various European countries sent assistance, Yedioth Achronot reported that Arabs and Palestinians on Facebook, Telegram and TikTok celebrated the Jerusalem wildfires.
By Rachel Avraham
Throughout Israeli Memorial Day and Independence Day this year, wildfires raged on between the Jerusalem Hills area and Tel Aviv, which were not brought under control until the conclusion of Israeli Independence Day. The Israeli government claims that these wildfires were the most destructive Israel has seen since the Mount Carmel forest fire in 2010, which killed 44 people and destroyed over 12,000 acres of woodland. As a result of the massive wildfires, many Independence Day celebrations throughout Israel were canceled and the environment this year was not so festive.
According to Arutz Sheva, the wildfires started with five hotspots in the Jerusalem area: Highway 3, Canada Park, Neve Shalom, Mesilat Zion, and Mitzpe Harel. From there, they turned into a national crisis, which threatened all of Israel. According to the Times of Israel, the Jewish National Fund, or Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael, said around 20,000 dunams (5,000 acres) of land had been destroyed. According to the report, that area includes around 13,000 dunams (3,000 acres) of forest.
According to the JNF, most of the Canada Forest was destroyed, and the Eshtaol Forest sustained severe damage, Haaretz reported. According to the report, President Isaac Herzog said at an Independence Day ceremony that the wildfire is “part of a climate crisis that we must not ignore, which requires us to prepare for major and significant challenges and to make decisions, including legislation, accordingly.”
During the crisis, Arutz Sheva reported that the following communities were evacuated: Shoresh, Neve Ilan, Yad HaShmona, Nataf, Neve Shalom, Beka’ot, Mitzpe Harel, Mesilat Zion, Tarum, Ta’oz, Eshtaol, Beit Meir, and Nachshon, as well as the Latrun area and Canada Park. According to the report, residents of Mevo Horon in Binyamin were also instructed to evacuate due to concerns of the fire spreading. Haaretz reported that ten communities in total were evacuated.
The fires in the Jerusalem area were so bad that Israel requested international assistance in order to relinquish them. According to various reports in the media, Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Ukraine, and Romania sent planes to help battle the flames, while several other countries, including Greece, Cyprus and North Macedonia, sent water-dropping aircraft. However, Haaretz reported that a source within the fire service said the international assistance is not expected to be especially significant, as by the time it arrives, the spread of the fire is expected to have already been contained.
Meanwhile, as various European countries sent assistance, Yedioth Achronot reported that Arabs and Palestinians on Facebook, Telegram and TikTok celebrated the wildfires. “We ask God to protect our people and our land. May these fires confuse the occupiers and their embattled settlers,” wrote Hana Barghouti. Another user, Umm Ibrahim, posted images from the blazes and added, “In the name of Allah, the Avenger, the Almighty.”
According to Yedioth Achronot, Shiite Lebanese journalist Hiba Haidar wrote, “May God burn them as they burned the people of Gaza and their tents.” Palestinian journalist Abdullah Alattar from Gaza shared images with the caption, “Scenes of thousands of Israelis fleeing the wildfires raging in Jerusalem.”
According to the report, some posts criticized the Palestinian Authority, with users mocking reports that the Fatah-led government had offered Israel assistance in extinguishing the fires. “The Zionist Palestinian Authority offered help, and Israel ignored it,” wrote Hanin Nassar. “May God humiliate you. You should’ve asked for permission to save tens of thousands in Gaza.”
A post in the Palestinian Facebook page Jerusalem Compass read: “On the eve of the so-called ‘Independence Day’ and the founding of their state on the land of Palestine, massive fires are burning in the Latrun Hills, along Highway 1 between Jerusalem and Jaffa. Tens of thousands of settlers have been forced to flee under siege.”
Arutz Sheva reported that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tweeted: “Israelis live every day with constant threats from uncivilized savages like Hamas seeking to murder civilians & destroying even the trees. No respect for life whether people or trees as Hamas, Arab news outlet calls to set fires.”
The Times of Israel reported that an investigation has been opened regarding the cause of the wildfires. According to the Jerusalem Post, three Palestinians have been arrested due to the suspicion that they were involved in arson, which ignited the Jerusalem wildfires.
Photo from CBN News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYnGN2XVcA8
