Who Set the Fire and Why?

Moshe Feiglin
Manhigut Yehudit
28 Kislev, 5771 (Dec. 5, '10)

Translated from Ma'ariv's NRG website



This article is being written two hours before Shabbat (Miketz). The radio is incessantly reporting on the fire raging in the Carmel Mountains. The focus of the reports is twofold: The heartwarming response of the Israeli public to the victims of the fire, with families from around the country volunteering to open their homes to those people who have lost or had to leave theirs. The second focus is on finding the guilty party or parties. Who is guilty for the fact that Israel doesn't have amphibian planes? Whose fault is it that Israel doesn't have more fire fighters? Who is to blame for their lack of basic equipment? The finger-pointing is gathering steam. Just one question is not being asked: Maybe the guilty party is he who struck the match?

There is no question that Israel must better prepare itself for fires. Perhaps G-d is giving us a "fire drill" in advance of a strategic attack. Perhaps somebody will finally remove the dangerous chemicals being stored in Haifa Bay to storage areas far from population centers. Maybe Israel will finally buy amphibian planes, capable of filling huge amounts of sea water within minutes and releasing them on the flames before they get out of control. There are certainly many technical lessons to be learned and implemented from this Chanukah tragedy. But when all is said and done, we are looking for all those responsible everywhere but where they really are. The question is not, 'Why wasn't the fire extinguished sooner?' but rather, 'Who lit it?'

This time the fire started in the illegal Asufiya garbage dump?
Perhaps.
And no proof of arson has been found for the fires that broke out simultaneously in nearby Kiryat Bialik?
True.
And no perpetrators have been found for the fires that broke out at the same time in the south, even closing down some train service there?
Also true.

Nevertheless, it was clear to me – and to all the other people who are afraid to talk about this openly – that the huge blaze in the Carmel Mountains would kindle all sorts of other fires far away from the range of its sparks. It makes no difference if it started in a garbage dump or by arson. It makes no difference because we all know that most of the fires in Israel are caused by arson. Arson perpetrated by Arabs. Not by nut-jobs, not by criminals. Arson motivated by nationalism. Arson by Arab citizens of Israel.

Everyone is busy figuring out how many tons of fire extinguisher we have to keep in storage, but they are afraid to touch upon the real reason for the fires. Please allow me to address an issue that is extremely non-politically-correct: Who is setting these fires, and why?

(Read full article "Who Set the Fire and Why?")