Fires
raged throughout Israel from 22nd till the 27th of
November of 2016. During this time, the national fire and rescue services dealt
with over 1,700 fires in areas all over the country.
There were
a few big fires in Haifa, Zichron Yaacov, Gosh Talmonim, and the mountains of
Jerusalem. Most of the fires were caused due to climate conditions. A small
part of the fires was the result of arson; however, many voices were rising in
the political leadership and media took advantage of the situation to incite
against the Arab citizens in Israel, some even called the fires "The
Intifada of Arson".
The
Coalition Against Racism: "there are those who are looking to use the
fires in order to ignite the flames of hate and incitement. Anyone who caused a
fire deliberately or out of negligence should be prosecuted, but its sad to
see that there are media outlets and politicians that are looking to use these
terrible events in over to incite against the Arab citizens. This is the time
to work together In order to help the residents of Haifa and the other areas
that were damaged, Arabs and Jews together, instead of using the fire to spread
hate"
