With fires under control, Israel turns to recovery efforts

Fires burn in the horizon as fire fighters battle to control a fire that broke out in the Israeli town of Nataf, on November 25, 2016.

Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also on Sunday said authorities had proof that at least 17 cases of the 110 recorded outbreaks of fires were caused by arsonists. The latest was the issuance of a fatwa by one of the Rabbis allowing the killing of any Arab intending to start a fire.

Netanyahu made the call on Saturday night to Abbas, identified by his nom de guerre Abu Mazen in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The government will confront with all its power anyone who intentionally or through carelessness sets a fire, or anyone inciting others to set a fire”, he said.

Firefighting planes and equipment were flown from the U.S., Russia, Greece, Italy, Turkey and other nations to help.

Egypt is expected to send two helicopters, while Jordan has said it would send several firefighting crews. Local media reported that a supertanker firefighting plane would arrive from the United States in 24 hours.

The more than 250 fires this week have been fanned by hot, dry weather and high winds.

Several people have been treated for smoke inhalation but no serious injuries have been reported due to the fires.

A large fire that blazed in Harashim, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) to the northeast of Haifa, was extinguished as of Friday afternoon. They helped with fires in Haifa and the Jerusalem area, and returned to the West Bank on Saturday night.

Some witnesses said the city, Israel’s third-largest, resembled a “war zone”.

According to Ran Sheluf, head of the investigation unit of the Israel fire and rescue services, more than 1,500 fires had been reported over the past week.

Authorities had ordered the evacuation of 60,000 people in Haifa as fires menaced 11 neighborhoods.

“We cannot tell yet if this is organized, but we can see a number of cells operating”, Netanyahu added. It is estimated that residents of Halamish will be able to return to their homes on Sunday. “It is near schools, gas stations, and there are a lot of cars that are stuck in traffic jams as people try to leave Haifa”, Hamer said.

The entire community of Nataf, which lies in Jerusalem hills, was evacuated for the second time on Friday since the wave of fires started on Monday. “We will build more and bigger houses for every [damaged] house”, he said, adding that settlers whose homes, which lie in compounds considered illegal under global law, are too damaged to live in will be given trailers as alternative accommodation until new homes are built.

It is estimated the fires have caused hundreds of millions of shekels in damage and burned as much as 32,000 acres of land across the country.

Palestinian firefighters have deployed to help their Israeli counterparts combat raging wildfires across Israel, as authorities arrested 12 people within the past 48 hours on suspicion of arson.