With the arrival of hot weather in Israel, arson – the intentional destruction of Israel's forests by Arab terrorists – has once again reared its ugly head. During last week's heat wave there were dozens of brush fires and forest fires. It was only due to the hard work of firefighters that blazes did not consume large parts of several forests.
Shuki Gilon, chairman of the “Land Guards” (Mishmar Admati) organization, told Arutz Sheva in an interview that his group worked with police, farmers, ranchers, and forest rangers to prevent such fires. “The idea is for everyone to work together to reduce the incidents of arson. We use technology, science, and other methods to develop creative solutions that will foil these arson incidents.”
Gilon said that the group had prevented numerous acts of arson by Arabs. “We work mostly in the lower Galilee, the northern and southern Negev, and the Lachish region north of the Negev,” said Gilon. These areas have suffered from inordinate numbers of arson incidents in the past.
“We have senior security people and top officials of the Parks and Nature Authority working with us,” Gilon said. “As part of our equipment we use thermal cameras and special identification equipment. We invest a great deal of energy in synchronizing our actions with police,” he added. “We recently provided them with information about four fires – all the details, including who set them, when, and why.”
As far as Gilon is concerned, these fires are acts of terror. “In any other country arson is considered terror. Here, too, people are starting to understand that an act of arson is an act against Israel and Zionism,” he added.