Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Neeman called on police to catch the arsonists responsible for Wednesday's blaze at the village of Gvaot.
"I see severely those who set fire to forests again and again in the municipal area, and now, sadly, a fire has been set on fire in the Gvaot forest," he said.
"Their goal is to harm us, the settlers in Gush Etzion, our property, and our land," he added. "This wave must stop. I call upon the security forces here to provide a proper and effective response, as much as it will be necessary. This arson is terrorism."