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Outpouring of Real-World Support, and Online Hate, for Israel Amid Raging Terror-Fires

by TheTower.org Staff |

As Israel struggled to put out the hundreds wildfires that rampaged across the country on Thursday, many of which were started by terror arsonists, both domestic and foreign support poured in to help battle the blazes and evacuate residents. At the same time, expressions of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hate spread across the internet.

Roughly 100 people were treated for injuries. By nightfall, authorities were reporting that the fires were mostly under control. Though the most intense fires were in the northern port city of Haifa, additional fires were being fought in forests and populated areas, including the Jerusalem corridor.

Responding to calls from the Israeli government for assistance, nations including the United States, Russia, France, Turkey, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, and others mobilized to send aircraft and equipment to battle the fires. Dan Shapiro, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, tweeted the following words of sympathy:

The world’s largest firefighting plane, the Global Supertanker based in Colorado, will arrive in Israel on Friday to assist with firefighting efforts.

Meanwhile, inside Israel, authorities, groups, and fire brigades deployed mainly to Haifa, the epicenter of the blazes. According to Israel’s Channel 2, these included emergency and civil authorities from around the country, including Israeli settlements represented by the Council of Judea and Samaria. Leaders from the Druze, Arab, and Bedouin communities took to the airwaves to express support for the residents of Haifa. “Our homes are open” to residents seeking shelter, a leader of the Druze village of Usfiya, neighboring Haifa, told Channel 2.

Online, however, expressions of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hate raged, along with celebrations over the unfolding tragedy. The hashtag #IsraelIsBurning trended on Twitter, as well as the Arabic hashtag اسرائیل_تحترق# (“Israel is burning”).

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