27 nov 2016
Yair Grinshpan
Thirty persons have been arrested on suspicion of arson and five for incitement, including a 37-year-old resident of Ganei Tikva who was granted conditional release.
Yair Grinshpan, a 37-year-old resident of Ganei Tikva near Petach Tikvah, was arrested on Saturday night after calling on his Facebook page “to burn Arab villages,” one of five persons arrested thus far for online incitement to violence following the recent wave of fires.
Grinshpan was granted conditional release by the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court for of his suspected offenses of incitement to violence. He was ordered not to use his mobile phone or computer for the next month.
The suspect was arrested at midnight Sunday after writing, among other things: "What happened in Haifa and Jerusalem will happen in Umm al-Fahm," he wrote in reference to the Arab town located northwest of Jenin, "to burn the sons of bitches back."
"Just burning Arab villages in return; this is war," read another of his inflammatory posts. "To all the leftists who believe in piece, know that in the Palestinian Authority they're happily calling to burn more places here."
The accused's lawyer, Limor Bramli, claimed that her client was not permitted to consult with a lawyer before his arrest and protested the fact that his computer was taken without a warrant. "My client expressed his opinion on Facebook with a group of a lot of other people who expressed their opinion," she told Ynet. "There were opinions that were a lot more extreme than his opinions, but he was chosen as a scapegoat without a justified reason. He expressed an opinion and didn't tell others to commit a physical act. He wrote words in the framework of freedom of expression."
At the time of publication, the Israel Police have arrested 23 suspects for arson relating to the wave of fires that plagued the country over the past week, 18 of whom are Arab Israelis, with the rest being Palestinians. Twenty-three of them remain jailed. They have also arrested five persons—three Jews, including Grinshpan, and two Arabs—for online incitement.
The arrests for online incitement were carried out following the instructions of Interior Minister Gilad Erdan, who called on the police to work to curtail this trend.
The police reported to the government in the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday that some residents of Deir Hanna and Umm al-Fahm confessed to having intentionally started fires, the first admissions of guilt in the investigation.
Thirty persons have been arrested on suspicion of arson and five for incitement, including a 37-year-old resident of Ganei Tikva who was granted conditional release.
Yair Grinshpan, a 37-year-old resident of Ganei Tikva near Petach Tikvah, was arrested on Saturday night after calling on his Facebook page “to burn Arab villages,” one of five persons arrested thus far for online incitement to violence following the recent wave of fires.
Grinshpan was granted conditional release by the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court for of his suspected offenses of incitement to violence. He was ordered not to use his mobile phone or computer for the next month.
The suspect was arrested at midnight Sunday after writing, among other things: "What happened in Haifa and Jerusalem will happen in Umm al-Fahm," he wrote in reference to the Arab town located northwest of Jenin, "to burn the sons of bitches back."
"Just burning Arab villages in return; this is war," read another of his inflammatory posts. "To all the leftists who believe in piece, know that in the Palestinian Authority they're happily calling to burn more places here."
The accused's lawyer, Limor Bramli, claimed that her client was not permitted to consult with a lawyer before his arrest and protested the fact that his computer was taken without a warrant. "My client expressed his opinion on Facebook with a group of a lot of other people who expressed their opinion," she told Ynet. "There were opinions that were a lot more extreme than his opinions, but he was chosen as a scapegoat without a justified reason. He expressed an opinion and didn't tell others to commit a physical act. He wrote words in the framework of freedom of expression."
At the time of publication, the Israel Police have arrested 23 suspects for arson relating to the wave of fires that plagued the country over the past week, 18 of whom are Arab Israelis, with the rest being Palestinians. Twenty-three of them remain jailed. They have also arrested five persons—three Jews, including Grinshpan, and two Arabs—for online incitement.
The arrests for online incitement were carried out following the instructions of Interior Minister Gilad Erdan, who called on the police to work to curtail this trend.
The police reported to the government in the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday that some residents of Deir Hanna and Umm al-Fahm confessed to having intentionally started fires, the first admissions of guilt in the investigation.
During a visit to the Israeli settlement of Halamish, in which 18 homes were burnt by the recent fires, Minister Naftali Bennett says terrorists 'tried to kill an entire town'; both he and Lieberman advocate more construction in response.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) blamed terrorists on Sunday morning for the wave of fires which scorched a number of towns and cities in Israel over the past few days, causing untold damage.
“We are seeing a wave of nationalistic terror here. ‘Fire terrorists’ tried to kill an entire town and its residents,” Bennett said during a visit to the settlement of Halamish in the Binyamin area of the West Bank, which was struck hard by the relentless flames. “The aim was to burn and kill in an Israeli town.”
Bennett’s remarks came on the heels of the findings of a special investigations unit which discovered evidence of arson in two areas of Halamish.
Meanwhile firefighters were forced to contend with a massive brush fire which erupted near Hadera in the moshav of Talmei Elazar in northern Israel on Sunday morning. The fire broke out after authorities believed that the flames had finally been brought under control or extinguished across the country.
“In the last few days I was in Haifa during the fire and now here I see destroyed homes, burnt to the core,” Bennett continued. “We are facing a new wave of national terror whose goal is to murder and intimidate Jews. That is the definition of terror. This terror too, we will defeat.”
He went on to praise Israel for the actions taken to suffocate the fires, and the camaraderie displayed as the disaster battered large areas of the country. “As usual, Israel drew in all layers of society, for each other, in a way that is unprecedented. We see the volunteers and the mutual help. For every home here we will build an even bigger home, many more, because that is the real answer to terror. We will prevail,” he declared.
Elaborating on the efforts being undertaken to rehabilitate Halamish, in which 18 homes were consumed by the fires, Bennett said: “At the moment, the aim is to return all the families to the town who will live temporarily in caravans since they wish to continue their lives.”
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also visited the blackened settlement where he furnished praise on the residents who ”even today choose to act courageously and not speak of revenge but rather about building the and expanding the settlement enterprise. I think that the best answer is to widen the settlement enterprise.”
Lieberman further stated the establishment’s intention to bring to account any terrorists who deliberately started fires, before thanking countries that had provided succor in Israel’s hour of need.
“I think that natural disasters are shared by us and the Palestinians,” he said. “When something like this happens everyone comes to help. I want to thank all the fire crews who came from outside Israel, and made an enormous and critical contribution, including the Palestinian crews.”
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) blamed terrorists on Sunday morning for the wave of fires which scorched a number of towns and cities in Israel over the past few days, causing untold damage.
“We are seeing a wave of nationalistic terror here. ‘Fire terrorists’ tried to kill an entire town and its residents,” Bennett said during a visit to the settlement of Halamish in the Binyamin area of the West Bank, which was struck hard by the relentless flames. “The aim was to burn and kill in an Israeli town.”
Bennett’s remarks came on the heels of the findings of a special investigations unit which discovered evidence of arson in two areas of Halamish.
Meanwhile firefighters were forced to contend with a massive brush fire which erupted near Hadera in the moshav of Talmei Elazar in northern Israel on Sunday morning. The fire broke out after authorities believed that the flames had finally been brought under control or extinguished across the country.
“In the last few days I was in Haifa during the fire and now here I see destroyed homes, burnt to the core,” Bennett continued. “We are facing a new wave of national terror whose goal is to murder and intimidate Jews. That is the definition of terror. This terror too, we will defeat.”
He went on to praise Israel for the actions taken to suffocate the fires, and the camaraderie displayed as the disaster battered large areas of the country. “As usual, Israel drew in all layers of society, for each other, in a way that is unprecedented. We see the volunteers and the mutual help. For every home here we will build an even bigger home, many more, because that is the real answer to terror. We will prevail,” he declared.
Elaborating on the efforts being undertaken to rehabilitate Halamish, in which 18 homes were consumed by the fires, Bennett said: “At the moment, the aim is to return all the families to the town who will live temporarily in caravans since they wish to continue their lives.”
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also visited the blackened settlement where he furnished praise on the residents who ”even today choose to act courageously and not speak of revenge but rather about building the and expanding the settlement enterprise. I think that the best answer is to widen the settlement enterprise.”
Lieberman further stated the establishment’s intention to bring to account any terrorists who deliberately started fires, before thanking countries that had provided succor in Israel’s hour of need.
“I think that natural disasters are shared by us and the Palestinians,” he said. “When something like this happens everyone comes to help. I want to thank all the fire crews who came from outside Israel, and made an enormous and critical contribution, including the Palestinian crews.”
Some 2,500 firefighters marshalled, half a million tons of water and flame retardant unleashed in 480 missions to battle the flames which incinerated hundreds of homes, forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands; after 5 days of blazes, authorities report that flames finally brought under control.
After five consecutive days of fires wreaking havoc throughout the country, firefighters from both Israel and abroad have finally managed to bring the flames under control with 180 people injured, according to Magen David Adom paramedics.
Haifa, Israel’s third largest city, bore the main brunt of the wave of the fires with 527 apartments rendered uninhabitable as the flames engulfed vast areas.
As swathes of the country were still smouldering, security forces began making arrests against a number of individuals suspected of deliberately starting the fires in an act of terror, along with those caught on social media networks inciting readers to arson.
During a press conference held on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself warned that the the population could be witnessing a new phenomenon of terror.
Overall, three people were moderately injured as a result of the conflagrations, one senior from Haifa, two from Ma’ale Adumim and another 129 who were left in light condition. According to estimates, another 50 people admitted themselves to hospital in light condition.
Over the weekend, 186 fresh fires lit up the country, marking a marginal decrease from an average of 200-250 daily fire incidents.
As fire crews fought around the clock to quench the flames, last week saw the deployment of approximately 2,000 firefighters, along with 450 IDF Search and Rescue soldiers and 69 Cypriot soldiers.
The firefighting forces unleashed a total of half a million tons of water and flame retardant. Ten countries contributed to the effort while 14 Israeli firefighting planes took to the skies, with the number of combined missions reaching 480.
After five consecutive days of fires wreaking havoc throughout the country, firefighters from both Israel and abroad have finally managed to bring the flames under control with 180 people injured, according to Magen David Adom paramedics.
Haifa, Israel’s third largest city, bore the main brunt of the wave of the fires with 527 apartments rendered uninhabitable as the flames engulfed vast areas.
As swathes of the country were still smouldering, security forces began making arrests against a number of individuals suspected of deliberately starting the fires in an act of terror, along with those caught on social media networks inciting readers to arson.
During a press conference held on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself warned that the the population could be witnessing a new phenomenon of terror.
Overall, three people were moderately injured as a result of the conflagrations, one senior from Haifa, two from Ma’ale Adumim and another 129 who were left in light condition. According to estimates, another 50 people admitted themselves to hospital in light condition.
Over the weekend, 186 fresh fires lit up the country, marking a marginal decrease from an average of 200-250 daily fire incidents.
As fire crews fought around the clock to quench the flames, last week saw the deployment of approximately 2,000 firefighters, along with 450 IDF Search and Rescue soldiers and 69 Cypriot soldiers.
The firefighting forces unleashed a total of half a million tons of water and flame retardant. Ten countries contributed to the effort while 14 Israeli firefighting planes took to the skies, with the number of combined missions reaching 480.
The Israeli government has been waging a frenzied incitement campaign through the media against the Palestinians for days, accusing them of being responsible for recent fires in the country.
In recent media remarks, Israel’s public security minister Gilad Erdan threatened to demolish homes of Palestinians proved to be involved in igniting fires in Israeli areas.
He also said the Israeli government would work on taking harsher punitive measures against arsonists through enacting relevant laws.
For his part, Israeli education minister Naftali Bennett said, during a visit to Halamish settlement which sustained extensive fire damage, that Israel would respond to its burning by building more and larger homes for its residents.
For her part, Israel's culture and sports minister Miri Regev called for stripping those who were behind the recent fires of their citizenship, referring to the Palestinians living inside the green line and possess Israeli documents.
The Israeli police, for their part, said they would ask courts on Sunday to extend the detention of Palestinians suspected of igniting blazes during the last five days.
The Israeli security and military forces had arrested 35 Palestinian citizens accused of lighting fires in Israel (the 1948 occupied lands) and the West Bank, in addition to many others for allegedly expressing personal contentment over the fires on social media websites.
In a related development, the Israeli authorities announced Sunday that their firefighters, with help from other countries, have extinguished blazes that ravaged Israel and the occupied West Bank for about five days and forced tens of thousands to flee homes.
In recent media remarks, Israel’s public security minister Gilad Erdan threatened to demolish homes of Palestinians proved to be involved in igniting fires in Israeli areas.
He also said the Israeli government would work on taking harsher punitive measures against arsonists through enacting relevant laws.
For his part, Israeli education minister Naftali Bennett said, during a visit to Halamish settlement which sustained extensive fire damage, that Israel would respond to its burning by building more and larger homes for its residents.
For her part, Israel's culture and sports minister Miri Regev called for stripping those who were behind the recent fires of their citizenship, referring to the Palestinians living inside the green line and possess Israeli documents.
The Israeli police, for their part, said they would ask courts on Sunday to extend the detention of Palestinians suspected of igniting blazes during the last five days.
The Israeli security and military forces had arrested 35 Palestinian citizens accused of lighting fires in Israel (the 1948 occupied lands) and the West Bank, in addition to many others for allegedly expressing personal contentment over the fires on social media websites.
In a related development, the Israeli authorities announced Sunday that their firefighters, with help from other countries, have extinguished blazes that ravaged Israel and the occupied West Bank for about five days and forced tens of thousands to flee homes.
Arab Knesset member Aida Touma strongly denounced the Israeli government for holding the Palestinians responsible for the wave of fires in the country, describing official remarks in this regards as “racist.”
Touma accused the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of Israel’s right-wing parties of using every chance regardless of the circumstances to incite against the Palestinians in Israel.
“The recent wave of incitement against the Palestinians inside the green line has been launched by Netanyahu and government circles because they want to shirk their responsibilities and cover up their failure to deal with the fires,” the lawmaker said.
“We inside the green line have been facing an escalating incitement campaign for two years or more led by the racist right-wing government, which has made the racial incitement [against the Palestinians] its daily message,” she added.
Touma accused the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of Israel’s right-wing parties of using every chance regardless of the circumstances to incite against the Palestinians in Israel.
“The recent wave of incitement against the Palestinians inside the green line has been launched by Netanyahu and government circles because they want to shirk their responsibilities and cover up their failure to deal with the fires,” the lawmaker said.
“We inside the green line have been facing an escalating incitement campaign for two years or more led by the racist right-wing government, which has made the racial incitement [against the Palestinians] its daily message,” she added.
The Israeli occupation army has closed off the main access roads to Palestinian villages in northern Ramallah province for the second day on account of the wildfires rocking Halamish settlement.
A couple of days earlier, the Israeli occupation army closed off the iron gates leading to the Palestinian villages of al-Nabi Salah, Beit Rima, and Deir Ghassana.
The occupation troops further sealed off the entrances to Salfit city, along with those leading to the villages of Aboud, Deir Abu Mishaal, and Umm Safa.
A PIC news correspondent said though firefighters extinguished the wildfires in Halamish settlement at the early evening hours, the occupation army has kept a tight rein on the thoroughfares leading to Palestinian towns and villages in the area.
About 1,000 Israeli settlers were evacuated from the illegal Halamish settlement, built on Palestinian lands in Ramallah, as 45 housing units were allegedly damaged by the fire.
A couple of days earlier, the Israeli occupation army closed off the iron gates leading to the Palestinian villages of al-Nabi Salah, Beit Rima, and Deir Ghassana.
The occupation troops further sealed off the entrances to Salfit city, along with those leading to the villages of Aboud, Deir Abu Mishaal, and Umm Safa.
A PIC news correspondent said though firefighters extinguished the wildfires in Halamish settlement at the early evening hours, the occupation army has kept a tight rein on the thoroughfares leading to Palestinian towns and villages in the area.
About 1,000 Israeli settlers were evacuated from the illegal Halamish settlement, built on Palestinian lands in Ramallah, as 45 housing units were allegedly damaged by the fire.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Saturday arrested a Palestinian young farmer in Battir town, west of Bethlehem in the West Bank, claiming he ignited a fire in an open area.
The farmer, Jawad Qattoush, was normally working on his own plot of land near his house in the town when soldiers arrested him, his family told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
The family explained that Qattoush was cleaning the field and disposing of waste by burning it as farmers usually do.
“Does it make sense that a sane person triggers a fire maliciously on his own land and near his house?", the family rhetorically questioned.
More than 20 Palestinians have been arrested recently on allegations of causing brush fires that spread to other areas.
The farmer, Jawad Qattoush, was normally working on his own plot of land near his house in the town when soldiers arrested him, his family told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
The family explained that Qattoush was cleaning the field and disposing of waste by burning it as farmers usually do.
“Does it make sense that a sane person triggers a fire maliciously on his own land and near his house?", the family rhetorically questioned.
More than 20 Palestinians have been arrested recently on allegations of causing brush fires that spread to other areas.
Despite a total lack of evidence of any human cause of the wildfires that have burned in Israel for nearly a week, Israeli troops have detained 23 Palestinians. This follows a statement Thursday by Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who claimed “only someone who this land does not belong to would be capable of setting fire to it”.
By this statement, he pointed blame at Palestinians, who have continuously lived on the land and had connection to it for thousands of years prior to the displacement of hundreds of thousands when Israel was created on their land in 1948.
Both Israeli and Palestinian fire crews have come together to fight the wildfires, which have broken out in several parts of Israel and the West Bank. On Saturday, new fires ignited in the Nablus area, in the northern part of the West Bank, endangering the homes of a number of Palestinian families from the village of Qousin.
On Friday, Israeli journalist Meron Rapoport opined on the Middle East Eye website that “the wave of fires has certainly shown how ready the Israeli leadership is to use any opportunity to portray the Palestinian minority as the enemy within, without waiting for evidence or even trying to pretend that it seeks cooperation with its 1.5 million Arab citizens.”
Also Friday, Israeli troops detained a Palestinian citizen of Israel following a mistranslation of a Facebook post he had made, and charged him with “incitement”.
Anas Abu Daabis, 24, had posted a statement in Arabic that was critical of Arabs who had praised the wildfires. Abu Daabis pointed out the “idiocy” of some Arabs who believed that the wildfires were God’s revenge on Israel for considering a ban on the Muslim call to prayer inside Israel.
“It’s a wonder”, Abu Daabis wrote, “when the brain stops working and turns into an idiot”. Israeli authorities stormed his home in the southern Negev and arrested him, claiming that somehow his post was inciting people to start fires.
Thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have had to evacuate their homes since the fires began, and at least 12 people have been injured, mainly due to smoke inhalation.
In early November, Israeli authorities warned that the country was on the cusp of an unprecedented drought, with the water flowing from the Jordan River into the Sea of Galilee at a record low.
This is the third year in a row of extreme, record-breaking drought in the region. The rainy season is about to begin, but very little rain has been reported so far. Last year, during the winter rainy season, the Sea of Galilee rose just 8.6 inches, which is seven times below the average rise of 63 inches each winter, according to the Israeli Water Authority.
By this statement, he pointed blame at Palestinians, who have continuously lived on the land and had connection to it for thousands of years prior to the displacement of hundreds of thousands when Israel was created on their land in 1948.
Both Israeli and Palestinian fire crews have come together to fight the wildfires, which have broken out in several parts of Israel and the West Bank. On Saturday, new fires ignited in the Nablus area, in the northern part of the West Bank, endangering the homes of a number of Palestinian families from the village of Qousin.
On Friday, Israeli journalist Meron Rapoport opined on the Middle East Eye website that “the wave of fires has certainly shown how ready the Israeli leadership is to use any opportunity to portray the Palestinian minority as the enemy within, without waiting for evidence or even trying to pretend that it seeks cooperation with its 1.5 million Arab citizens.”
Also Friday, Israeli troops detained a Palestinian citizen of Israel following a mistranslation of a Facebook post he had made, and charged him with “incitement”.
Anas Abu Daabis, 24, had posted a statement in Arabic that was critical of Arabs who had praised the wildfires. Abu Daabis pointed out the “idiocy” of some Arabs who believed that the wildfires were God’s revenge on Israel for considering a ban on the Muslim call to prayer inside Israel.
“It’s a wonder”, Abu Daabis wrote, “when the brain stops working and turns into an idiot”. Israeli authorities stormed his home in the southern Negev and arrested him, claiming that somehow his post was inciting people to start fires.
Thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have had to evacuate their homes since the fires began, and at least 12 people have been injured, mainly due to smoke inhalation.
In early November, Israeli authorities warned that the country was on the cusp of an unprecedented drought, with the water flowing from the Jordan River into the Sea of Galilee at a record low.
This is the third year in a row of extreme, record-breaking drought in the region. The rainy season is about to begin, but very little rain has been reported so far. Last year, during the winter rainy season, the Sea of Galilee rose just 8.6 inches, which is seven times below the average rise of 63 inches each winter, according to the Israeli Water Authority.
26 nov 2016
Fires continued to burn in different parts of Israel Saturday morning, with hundreds of Jewish settlers being evacuated from the West Bank settlement of Halamish.
The raging fire destroyed over 45 homes and caused damage to many others in the settlement, according to the Israeli police.
Vehicles and infrastructure were also either burned down or sustained damage in Halamish, where over 20 firefighting crews were dispatched to control the spread of flames.
The raging fire destroyed over 45 homes and caused damage to many others in the settlement, according to the Israeli police.
Vehicles and infrastructure were also either burned down or sustained damage in Halamish, where over 20 firefighting crews were dispatched to control the spread of flames.
25 nov 2016
12 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli security forces across the 1948 occupied territories on suspicion of involvement in the raging wildfires.
The abductions come as Israeli leaders have raised suspicions over the possibility that Palestinian assailants had intentionally set the blazes.
The suspects are being interrogated in connection to the fires flaring across the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich received instructions to form a committee to investigate the incident.
Speaking to reporters in the northern city of Haifa, where firefighters were battling blazes engulfing several neighborhoods and tens of thousands of people were evacuated, Alsheich claimed: “It’s likely that there is a nationalist motive in some of the arson cases.”
However, he said, there was no reason to suspect it was an “organized” effort, adding that police would “investigate as needed.”
Alsheich added that some arrests had been made in connection with the fires, but refused to give any additional details on the investigation.
The fires began three days ago at the Neve Shalom illegal settlement near Occupied Jerusalem where Israelis set up roots on Palestinian lands. Later, blazes erupted in the northern Israeli area of Zichron Yaakov and elsewhere near Occupied Jerusalem before the largest ones spread across Haifa.
Israel’s Channel 7 quoted the so-called expert in Middle Eastern affairs, David Bucaille, as stating that he fled with his family from Hadar neighborhood due to the unabated fires which he attributed to the “coexistence of Arabs” next to the Israelis in Haifa.
He claimed that an arson attack was launched by Arabs as part of a campaign staged by Arab MKs in response to the Adhan ban bid.
Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint (Arab) List Knesset faction, hit back at the Israelis on Thursday for suggesting that fires raging across the country had been intentionally set by Arabs.
“To my regret, someone decided to exploit this dreadful situation to incite and to lash out at an entire community,” Odeh said.
“Whoever loves our homeland has to focus right now on putting out the fires and helping the injured and not on fanning hate,” he added.
On Thursday, Odeh called any arson cases “despicable” and said arsonists “are the enemy of us all.”
The rash of fires is the worst since 2010, when Israel was hit by the deadliest wildfire in its history. The 2016 blaze has burned out of control for four days and is being reined in only after firefighting aircraft arrived from as far away as Greece and Russia.
Though no serious injuries were caused, several dozen Israelis were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
Israel on Thursday called up military reservists to join overstretched police and firefighters and made use of an international fleet of firefighting aircraft sent by several countries.
The abductions come as Israeli leaders have raised suspicions over the possibility that Palestinian assailants had intentionally set the blazes.
The suspects are being interrogated in connection to the fires flaring across the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich received instructions to form a committee to investigate the incident.
Speaking to reporters in the northern city of Haifa, where firefighters were battling blazes engulfing several neighborhoods and tens of thousands of people were evacuated, Alsheich claimed: “It’s likely that there is a nationalist motive in some of the arson cases.”
However, he said, there was no reason to suspect it was an “organized” effort, adding that police would “investigate as needed.”
Alsheich added that some arrests had been made in connection with the fires, but refused to give any additional details on the investigation.
The fires began three days ago at the Neve Shalom illegal settlement near Occupied Jerusalem where Israelis set up roots on Palestinian lands. Later, blazes erupted in the northern Israeli area of Zichron Yaakov and elsewhere near Occupied Jerusalem before the largest ones spread across Haifa.
Israel’s Channel 7 quoted the so-called expert in Middle Eastern affairs, David Bucaille, as stating that he fled with his family from Hadar neighborhood due to the unabated fires which he attributed to the “coexistence of Arabs” next to the Israelis in Haifa.
He claimed that an arson attack was launched by Arabs as part of a campaign staged by Arab MKs in response to the Adhan ban bid.
Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint (Arab) List Knesset faction, hit back at the Israelis on Thursday for suggesting that fires raging across the country had been intentionally set by Arabs.
“To my regret, someone decided to exploit this dreadful situation to incite and to lash out at an entire community,” Odeh said.
“Whoever loves our homeland has to focus right now on putting out the fires and helping the injured and not on fanning hate,” he added.
On Thursday, Odeh called any arson cases “despicable” and said arsonists “are the enemy of us all.”
The rash of fires is the worst since 2010, when Israel was hit by the deadliest wildfire in its history. The 2016 blaze has burned out of control for four days and is being reined in only after firefighting aircraft arrived from as far away as Greece and Russia.
Though no serious injuries were caused, several dozen Israelis were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
Israel on Thursday called up military reservists to join overstretched police and firefighters and made use of an international fleet of firefighting aircraft sent by several countries.
Fires spread Friday afternoon to hundreds of acres of Palestinian agricultural land south of Nablus near Asira al-Qiblieh town.
Palestinian firefighters in Nablus told the PIC reporter that the blaze continued to spread very quickly due to the wind and reached Jamain, Madama, and Urif towns.
The fires also approached Imatin town near Qalqilia.
Local sources affirmed that firefighters rushed to the area in large numbers in an attempt to control the fire.
Fires have broken out all over Israel, starting Tuesday and continuing until Thursday evening, due to “dry winds.”
Palestinian firefighters in Nablus told the PIC reporter that the blaze continued to spread very quickly due to the wind and reached Jamain, Madama, and Urif towns.
The fires also approached Imatin town near Qalqilia.
Local sources affirmed that firefighters rushed to the area in large numbers in an attempt to control the fire.
Fires have broken out all over Israel, starting Tuesday and continuing until Thursday evening, due to “dry winds.”
Safed's chief rabbi explains Fri. morning that shooting Arab arsonists would have saved the country from its current wave of flames; Rabbi Elyakim Levanon says that fires won't cease until 'Regulation Bill' is passed.
Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, posted a ruling on Jewish law on Friday morning that permits shooting Arabs who are trying to cause fires, even if this were to violate Shabbat. Another leading rabbi explained Thursday that the country's fires were divine punishment for delays in the "Regulation Bill."
Eliyahu answered a question that had been posed to him asking if Shabbat could be desecrated to stop, report or shoot Arabs trying to light fires near the questioner's home. The reply read in part, "The prime minister described the arson as terrorism. One of the heads of the Shin Bet called it a weapon of mass description. It's a miracle that people weren't burned alive, but we don't rely on miracles. It's certainly permitted and required to violate Shabbat to stop the fire and the arsonists. And if necessary, also to shoot them."
Eliyahu continued, "If in Beit Me'ir, Carmiel or Haifa they had shot the arsonists, we would have been spared from this disaster. I hope that the chief of staff and the police commissioner will give clear instructions to soldiers and police officers and citizens drawn from the fact that the fires have not finishes, and it is their responsibility."
Thursday night, Samaria Regional Council Rabbi Elyakim Levanon did not seem to believe that shooting arsonists could quench the flames. He posited that the dry weather and the fires that have broken out across the country as a partial result are divine punishment for the intended evacuation of West Bank settlements, such as Amona.
In his own publication, Levanon, another leading figure in Religious Zionism and on the right, wrote, "Anybody with eyes and brain in his head can see how the country thirsts for water. We're at the end of the month of November according to the Gregorian calendar, and there's still no sign of rain… strong winds… everything is dry, flammable, burning!"
He explained, "The hand of God is doing this" because "the Israeli government is delaying the passage of the Regulation Bill."
Levanon explained how the curse of conflagrations could be averted: "Until the shame of the threat of destroying the settlements in the Land of Israel, in Amona, in Ofra and in many other places is not removed, there will be a drought! The day that the decision is taken that can't be gotten around with legal wrangling—that very day the rains of blessing will begin to fall."
Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, posted a ruling on Jewish law on Friday morning that permits shooting Arabs who are trying to cause fires, even if this were to violate Shabbat. Another leading rabbi explained Thursday that the country's fires were divine punishment for delays in the "Regulation Bill."
Eliyahu answered a question that had been posed to him asking if Shabbat could be desecrated to stop, report or shoot Arabs trying to light fires near the questioner's home. The reply read in part, "The prime minister described the arson as terrorism. One of the heads of the Shin Bet called it a weapon of mass description. It's a miracle that people weren't burned alive, but we don't rely on miracles. It's certainly permitted and required to violate Shabbat to stop the fire and the arsonists. And if necessary, also to shoot them."
Eliyahu continued, "If in Beit Me'ir, Carmiel or Haifa they had shot the arsonists, we would have been spared from this disaster. I hope that the chief of staff and the police commissioner will give clear instructions to soldiers and police officers and citizens drawn from the fact that the fires have not finishes, and it is their responsibility."
Thursday night, Samaria Regional Council Rabbi Elyakim Levanon did not seem to believe that shooting arsonists could quench the flames. He posited that the dry weather and the fires that have broken out across the country as a partial result are divine punishment for the intended evacuation of West Bank settlements, such as Amona.
In his own publication, Levanon, another leading figure in Religious Zionism and on the right, wrote, "Anybody with eyes and brain in his head can see how the country thirsts for water. We're at the end of the month of November according to the Gregorian calendar, and there's still no sign of rain… strong winds… everything is dry, flammable, burning!"
He explained, "The hand of God is doing this" because "the Israeli government is delaying the passage of the Regulation Bill."
Levanon explained how the curse of conflagrations could be averted: "Until the shame of the threat of destroying the settlements in the Land of Israel, in Amona, in Ofra and in many other places is not removed, there will be a drought! The day that the decision is taken that can't be gotten around with legal wrangling—that very day the rains of blessing will begin to fall."
Fires in Israel have spread to the forests east of Jenin and to the evacuated Homesh settlement south of the city, in addition to Sabastia and Deir Sharaf towns in Nablus.
Fires have broken out all over Israel, starting Tuesday and continuing until Thursday evening, due to “dry winds.”
Palestinian civil defense forces said that they responded to fires which erupted east and south of Jenin, saying that they have been dealing with the fires for long hours.
Local sources pointed out that the fires spread easily and very quickly in the area.
The wave of fires that has started in various areas in Israel since Tuesday continues to rage, with new areas threatened by the blaze.
Israeli police evacuated on Thursday 60,000 Israelis from 12 neighborhoods in Haifa within the Green Line due to the wave of massive fires.
Fires have broken out all over Israel, starting Tuesday and continuing until Thursday evening, due to “dry winds.”
Palestinian civil defense forces said that they responded to fires which erupted east and south of Jenin, saying that they have been dealing with the fires for long hours.
Local sources pointed out that the fires spread easily and very quickly in the area.
The wave of fires that has started in various areas in Israel since Tuesday continues to rage, with new areas threatened by the blaze.
Israeli police evacuated on Thursday 60,000 Israelis from 12 neighborhoods in Haifa within the Green Line due to the wave of massive fires.
