While this is completely anecdotal, I think it's pretty informative. I spoke with a fire fighter yesterday, and he told me the following:
"I immediately knew that last week's fires, and today's fires, had to be arson. In firefighting school we learned about the normal causes of wildfires, and the *only* natural cause is lighting. Most of the time, it's someone throwing a cigarette on the side of the road or not putting a campfire out. In this case, there were three things that made me conclude that it was arson. 1. Time of day. Both last week and this week the fires started early morning. This is highly unusual for a campfire getting out of hand or a cigarette not being put out. 2. Location. The fires started in the middle of nowhere, not near any campground or road. 3. There were no reports or detections of lightning."
While this quote isn't verbatim (it was word of mouth), it makes a lot of sense. You also can't tell based on this logic who it was that set the fire.
On the other hand, Times of Israel is reporting that the fir authorities do actually think that it wasn't arson, and that there were a much higher than usual volume of hikers in יער הקדושים, close to where the original fires started.
1) It's been quite a dramatic fire. But nobody was killed, no homes destroyed that I know of, the forests will regrow, and I have to wonder whether spending a lot more money on fire prevention is the best use of resources.
2) Amit Segal reports that Ben Gvir told Netanyahu about 18 cases of incitement to arson, but Netanyahu misunderstood and thought it was 18 people arrested for actual arson. (Of course, it is possible that Netanyahu only claims to have misunderstood, but in any case this is where the number 18 comes from.)
3) Also in the realm of stupid comments, did you see Aryeh Deri commenting that arsonists should be bombed from the air without trial, because they are "ticking time bombs" threatening our lives in wartime?
Perhaps the fire started naturally???? REALLY? I believe that, even if things are incredibly dry, there has to be some source of ignition. Possible sources are a campfire, tossed cigarette, or (a VERY likely source) arson. The Muslims, according to THEIR cardinal writings, wish to subvert the ENTIRE world, especially Israel.
Even something as commonplace as a shard of broken glass on dry grass can act as a magnifying glass to start a fire. Forest fires are incredibly easy to be started spontaneously.
Pollard was interviewed this morning and said that he pitched the government on remodeling the 747s that are now being disassembled at the airport into ff tankers and got shrugs, it's a petite fire fighting Force🤔 at the moment
the small planes that were commissioned from Elbit after the incineration in the bus of soldiers and guards (oy) incident only hold 750 gallons each.
I'm still mystified how my daughters friends seminary in Jerusalem had no keys to the bars on the windows or fire suppression equipment and an Arab had to wander upon the scene and rescue the girls by somehow kicking down a wall that he knew about.
Appreciate the clarification on the species they were probably alluding to eucalyptus which must be a fire risk where it's planted, it's original use was to dry up the swamps.
Any idea how many have actually been arrested / detained? I was more floored by the fact that all of today's ceremonies were canceled
> Revealed: Firefighting budget rose consistently since Ben Gvir took office
> Documents accessed by Israel National News - Arutz Sheva reveal that former Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, not Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, put the brakes on purchasing firefighting helicopters.
> Israel National News
>
> May 2, 2025, 1:12 PM (GMT+3)
>
> Documents from the National Security Ministry accessed by Israel National News - Arutz Sheva show a steady increase in the budget of Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services over the past two years.
>
> The documents contradict recent statements made claiming that the budget for firefighting has been cut.
>
> According to the documents, the firefighting budget in 2022 stood at NIS 1.3 billion, in 2023 and 2024 the budget rose to NIS 1.4 billion, and this year's budget stands at NIS 1.8 billion.
>
> In addition, contrary to the claims of former Public Security Ministry Director General Tomer Lotan, who attacked Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, alleging that he put the breaks on the purchase of fire helicopters, the documents show that Ben Gvir's predecessor was the one who blocked the move.
This goes totally against what you reported in "Lies Spreading Like Wildfire."
Revealed: Firefighting budget rose consistently since Ben Gvir took office
Documents accessed by Israel National News - Arutz Sheva reveal that former Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, not Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, put the brakes on purchasing firefighting helicopters.
Documents from the National Security Ministry accessed by Israel National News - Arutz Sheva show a steady increase in the budget of Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services over the past two years.
The documents contradict recent statements made claiming that the budget for firefighting has been cut.
According to the documents, the firefighting budget in 2022 stood at NIS 1.3 billion, in 2023 and 2024 the budget rose to NIS 1.4 billion, and this year's budget stands at NIS 1.8 billion.
In addition, contrary to the claims of former Public Security Ministry Director General Tomer Lotan, who attacked Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, alleging that he put the breaks on the purchase of fire helicopters, the documents show that Ben Gvir's predecessor was the one who blocked the move.
You know what’s ironic, this appeared directly above this Slifkin post in my Substack feed:
There's been a lot of disinformation about the forests going up in smoke around Jerusalem.
Here is a short clip from a talk I gave at one of the forests planted by Israel over the 500-plus Palestinian villages it destroyed in 1948, during the Nakba, to stop the inhabitants returning.
I find it interesting that you have NOT answered my post directly. There can only be one truth: either you are right and A7 is lying, or A7 is telling the truth and you are lying.
Which is it? I will be asking A7 the same question.
While this is completely anecdotal, I think it's pretty informative. I spoke with a fire fighter yesterday, and he told me the following:
"I immediately knew that last week's fires, and today's fires, had to be arson. In firefighting school we learned about the normal causes of wildfires, and the *only* natural cause is lighting. Most of the time, it's someone throwing a cigarette on the side of the road or not putting a campfire out. In this case, there were three things that made me conclude that it was arson. 1. Time of day. Both last week and this week the fires started early morning. This is highly unusual for a campfire getting out of hand or a cigarette not being put out. 2. Location. The fires started in the middle of nowhere, not near any campground or road. 3. There were no reports or detections of lightning."
While this quote isn't verbatim (it was word of mouth), it makes a lot of sense. You also can't tell based on this logic who it was that set the fire.
Otherwise, great post!
On the other hand, Times of Israel is reporting that the fir authorities do actually think that it wasn't arson, and that there were a much higher than usual volume of hikers in יער הקדושים, close to where the original fires started.
This was confirmed by a KKL worker. He said israel doesn’t have natural fires.
Maybe not, but Israel has a heckuva lot of people who smoke and toss their cigarettes.
This was confirmed by a KKL worker. He said israel doesn’t have natural fires.
This was confirmed by a KKL worker. He said israel doesn’t have natural fires.
Thank you for the informative article as always.
1) It's been quite a dramatic fire. But nobody was killed, no homes destroyed that I know of, the forests will regrow, and I have to wonder whether spending a lot more money on fire prevention is the best use of resources.
2) Amit Segal reports that Ben Gvir told Netanyahu about 18 cases of incitement to arson, but Netanyahu misunderstood and thought it was 18 people arrested for actual arson. (Of course, it is possible that Netanyahu only claims to have misunderstood, but in any case this is where the number 18 comes from.)
3) Also in the realm of stupid comments, did you see Aryeh Deri commenting that arsonists should be bombed from the air without trial, because they are "ticking time bombs" threatening our lives in wartime?
Great stuff, well said.
And two posts in one day, what zechus :) if only it was due to better circumstances.
רק שמחות
This is important. People rush to point fingers and to mix ideology into the narrative without properly assessing the facts first.
Perhaps the fire started naturally???? REALLY? I believe that, even if things are incredibly dry, there has to be some source of ignition. Possible sources are a campfire, tossed cigarette, or (a VERY likely source) arson. The Muslims, according to THEIR cardinal writings, wish to subvert the ENTIRE world, especially Israel.
Even something as commonplace as a shard of broken glass on dry grass can act as a magnifying glass to start a fire. Forest fires are incredibly easy to be started spontaneously.
Pollard was interviewed this morning and said that he pitched the government on remodeling the 747s that are now being disassembled at the airport into ff tankers and got shrugs, it's a petite fire fighting Force🤔 at the moment
the small planes that were commissioned from Elbit after the incineration in the bus of soldiers and guards (oy) incident only hold 750 gallons each.
I'm still mystified how my daughters friends seminary in Jerusalem had no keys to the bars on the windows or fire suppression equipment and an Arab had to wander upon the scene and rescue the girls by somehow kicking down a wall that he knew about.
Appreciate the clarification on the species they were probably alluding to eucalyptus which must be a fire risk where it's planted, it's original use was to dry up the swamps.
Any idea how many have actually been arrested / detained? I was more floored by the fact that all of today's ceremonies were canceled
I thought of an obvious second use
For when they're not putting out the fires
Refilling the Dead Sea 🤷 👌
And help with regional fires
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/407745
> Revealed: Firefighting budget rose consistently since Ben Gvir took office
> Documents accessed by Israel National News - Arutz Sheva reveal that former Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, not Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, put the brakes on purchasing firefighting helicopters.
> Israel National News
>
> May 2, 2025, 1:12 PM (GMT+3)
>
> Documents from the National Security Ministry accessed by Israel National News - Arutz Sheva show a steady increase in the budget of Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services over the past two years.
>
> The documents contradict recent statements made claiming that the budget for firefighting has been cut.
>
> According to the documents, the firefighting budget in 2022 stood at NIS 1.3 billion, in 2023 and 2024 the budget rose to NIS 1.4 billion, and this year's budget stands at NIS 1.8 billion.
>
> In addition, contrary to the claims of former Public Security Ministry Director General Tomer Lotan, who attacked Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, alleging that he put the breaks on the purchase of fire helicopters, the documents show that Ben Gvir's predecessor was the one who blocked the move.
This goes totally against what you reported in "Lies Spreading Like Wildfire."
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/407745
Revealed: Firefighting budget rose consistently since Ben Gvir took office
Documents accessed by Israel National News - Arutz Sheva reveal that former Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, not Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, put the brakes on purchasing firefighting helicopters.
Documents from the National Security Ministry accessed by Israel National News - Arutz Sheva show a steady increase in the budget of Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services over the past two years.
The documents contradict recent statements made claiming that the budget for firefighting has been cut.
According to the documents, the firefighting budget in 2022 stood at NIS 1.3 billion, in 2023 and 2024 the budget rose to NIS 1.4 billion, and this year's budget stands at NIS 1.8 billion.
In addition, contrary to the claims of former Public Security Ministry Director General Tomer Lotan, who attacked Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, alleging that he put the breaks on the purchase of fire helicopters, the documents show that Ben Gvir's predecessor was the one who blocked the move.
You know what’s ironic, this appeared directly above this Slifkin post in my Substack feed:
There's been a lot of disinformation about the forests going up in smoke around Jerusalem.
Here is a short clip from a talk I gave at one of the forests planted by Israel over the 500-plus Palestinian villages it destroyed in 1948, during the Nakba, to stop the inhabitants returning.
There's no smoke without fire.
"Its always others to blame."
And Natan Slifkin always knows who the "others" are in the government.
Yes, it's the ones who've been warned for years that Israel was not sufficiently prepared.
I find it interesting that you have NOT answered my post directly. There can only be one truth: either you are right and A7 is lying, or A7 is telling the truth and you are lying.
Which is it? I will be asking A7 the same question.
Impressive tree knowledge.