On Wednesday, as Israel marked Yom HaZikaron (Day of Remembrance) to remember the tens of thousands of Israelis who have died defending the Jewish state, fires broke out, raging in the Judean Hills, and Palestinians celebrated while giving instructions to ignite more fires.
The roaring fires near Jerusalem forced the closure of Israel’s main artery, Highway 1. Fire and Rescue Commissioner Eyal Caspi announced that the alert level had been raised to the highest degree. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar reached out to Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, and Bulgaria for aid, although any help was not expected before Wednesday night.
Palestinians who hate Israel routinely refer to all Israelis as “settlers.” The terrorist group Hamas exhorted Palestinians to “burn whatever you can of groves, forests, and settler homes,” on Telegram, adding, “Youth of the West Bank, youth of Jerusalem, and those inside Israel, set their cars ablaze… Gaza awaits the revenge of the free,” The Jerusalem Post reported.
The Jenin News Network Telegram channel urged Palestinians to “burn the groves near the settlements” on Telegram as well.
Palestinian news channel “Akhbar Filastin” posted on X, “A call to the revolutionary youth and all the heroes of the West Bank.. Settlers’ homes and the surrounding areas are your target. Burn them with your Molotov cocktails and set fire to the grass near the settlement outposts.”
“Israeli police reportedly arrested or detained three suspects in connection with fires that broke out on Wednesday,” JNS reported.
Knesset member Zvi Sukkot stated, “As the fires spread, calls are being published on Arab networks to ‘set fire to the occupied forests and settlements,’ and there is a real concern, based on past experience, that Palestinians will attempt to set additional fires in Judea and Samaria and throughout the country.”
Yom HaZikaron ends Wednesday night, at which time Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Independence Day) begins. All Independence Day performances and activities were canceled.
