Fire investigators from the Israel Fire and Rescue Services determined that the two fires that broke out yesterday (Thursday) afternoon in the western Binyamin Region were caused by arson.
According to the Fire and Rescue Services, the two incidents were unrelated.
The first fire erupted near the community of Dolev, where eight firefighting crews operated with assistance from aircraft of the “Elad" aerial firefighting squadron.
The second fire broke out at 5:20 p.m., when members of the “Chesed Olam" farm reported an arson attack carried out by Arabs in the farm’s grazing areas.
The fire later spread to an illegal vehicle scrapyard located on the outskirts of the village of Shuqba. Six firefighting teams operated with the assistance of volunteers and members from nearby farms.
Palestinian Arab sources quickly accused residents of the hilltop communities of setting fire to the lands of the village of Shuqba, claiming that the fire was spreading despite efforts to bring it under control.
The Binyamin Council strongly rejected these claims, describing them as libel and false accusations that present a misleading picture of the village residents. The council noted that the Arab residents were ignoring the fact that the site in question is a vehicle scrapyard in an area where many stolen vehicles from central Israel are smuggled.
Deputy Fire Commissioner Eliran Tzruya, head of the Investigations and Intelligence Branch in the Judea and Samaria District, said: “Since yesterday, a number of investigative actions have been carried out in connection with the fires in the Binyamin Region. In the past hour, we completed all the required investigative procedures, and we can now determine that both incidents were cases of arson. However, there is no connection between the two fires."
He added: “Over the past week, firefighters from the Judea and Samaria District have responded to several significant incidents, some of which are suspected arson cases, while in others we have determined that the fires were deliberately set."
In recent years, Arab terrorists have taken advantage of the hot and dry weather of the summer months to commit arson in open areas and forests across Israel, and especially in Judea and Samaria.
On Wednesday, firefighters worked to extinguish fires set in three locations in Judea and Samaria.
One fire began on the slopes of Mitzpe Yosef on Mount Gerizim, near a military installation, and spread to nearby fields in various directions.
At one scene, firefighters managed to halt the fire from spreading toward Mitzpe Yosef and the nearby military installation. Meanwhile, at another location, crews set up a fire line near a tahini factory and evacuated vehicles from the area to prevent further damage. At the third scene, the firefighters operated near residential homes in the Samaritan neighborhood outside Har Bracha.
At the same time, six fire crews were dispatched to another fire near the Ein Sukkot spring in the Jordan Valley.
Earlier in that day, firefighters worked to put out a fire in the pasture areas of the Ma'ale Ahuvya farm near the community of Kochav Hashahar in the Binyamin region.