HAIFA, Israel, Nov. 25 (UPI) — At least 13 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting fires since Monday across Israel, which Israel officials called a form of terrorism Friday.
Three Palestinians were arrested after failing to spark a fire near the settlement of Ariel, and other arsonists were caught in the act in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Moshe Kahlon said to Israel Radio the Haifa firestorm was an “intentional act of arson.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who toured burned buildings in Haifa and met with fire crews, said to the media “every fire that was caused by arson, or incitement to arson, is terrorism by all accounts — and we will treat it as such.”
But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas‘ Fatah movement said Israel was “exploiting the fire” to accuse Palestinians.
Nevertheless, Palestinian authorities have offered to provide fire engines and firefighters, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Help also has been offered from Russia, France, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Croatia, Greece and Italy.
The United States dispatched the world’s largest firefighting plane, the Super Tanker, and 50 firefighters.
In Haifa, where 60,000of the 300,000 populatio were ordered to evacuate, firefighters brought the blaze under control.
But smaller fires remain.
Overnight several hundred people were evacuated from Beit Meir near Jerusalem after several homes caught fire.
A large fire broke out in the vicinity of Maale Hahamisha, just north of Abu Gosh west of Jerusalem, firefighters confirmed.
The situation has been worsened because of hot, dry weather and high winds.
