Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday received a phone call from Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev, which dealt with the Israeli-PA cooperation in extinguishing the fires in the Jerusalem area.
The official PA news agency Wafa reported that Minister Bar-Lev thanked Abbas for the participation of the Palestinian civil defense apparatus in putting out the fires, noting that the Palestinian aid was "important and influential."
According to the report, Abbas noted that the Palestinian participation in extinguishing the fires in the Jerusalem area stems from the humane approach of the "State of Palestine" which always initiates the provision of humanitarian aid.
Palestinian Arab organizations have regularly started fires against Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, most recently in the town of Evyatar.
Activists from the PA village of Beita recently tried to set fire to the houses in Evyatar and also lit tires in an attempt to suffocate the residents in the thick smoke. Palestinian Arab leaders have called for a replication of this pattern of action elsewhere in Judea and Samaria.