With the imminent danger of the fires in Israel subsiding, attention is now shifting toward the source of the massive blazes. Several ministers and lawmakers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have already alleged that the fires were an act of terrorism. While at least 16 people have been detained in connection to the wildfires, it is still not clear if they are suspected of arson or negligence. However, Palestinians are being implicated all the same. What Israeli government officials do not want to acknowledge is that Israel's Arab population in Haifa, where most of the fire spread, and who see themselves as Palestinians, live in those places ravaged by the fire, or have families who originally came from those areas. Haifa is commonly portrayed as a model of co-existence between Arabs and Jews. The city's population of 275,100 is about 11 percent Arab, which is why it is called Israel's premier mixed city. That label rests less on its demographics than on the high degree of integration and cooperation among Arabs and Jews, not found elsewhere in the country. Israeli Arabs hold key positions in government, business and major professions, such as healthcare, to a degree rarely found elsewhere in Israel. They have professional degrees, which has allowed them to integrate into the city's hospitals, courts and businesses. And as a beacon of coexistence Haifa has remained relatively calm since last year's wave of Palestinian attacks on Israeli individuals. Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Jewish Home Party, hinted at seditious Israeli Arab or Palestinian involvement, tweeting: "Only those to whom the country does not belong are capable of burning it." However, he could not have been talking about Arabs living in Haifa for it was their land that was burning, too. It would be the easiest thing in the world for Israeli officials to pin responsibility for the fires on Palestinians. Israel has been on edge during more than a year of stabbing and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians and responding security crackdowns by Israeli forces, both of which have tapered off but have not completely halted in recent months. Some Israeli news organizations are labeling the wave of fires an "arson intifada," alluding to a Palestinian uprising. Netanyahu has blamed Palestinian incitement for fueling the past year's attacks and echoed the charge, pointing to celebrations in some Arab circles over the fires, although that is no evidence of arson. If anything, the Palestinian Authority sent four firefighting crews to help battle the blaze. Forest and brush fires are not unusual in Israel. The recent blazes have been fanned by hot, dry weather and high winds. And fires have happened before. In 2010, a fierce fire raged through the Carmel Forest area near Haifa. More than 40 people died in that episode counted as Israel's worst natural disaster. The government of Netanyahu, who assumed office in 2009, was accused of being woefully unprepared. However, there was not even a hint of accusation that it was Palestinian arson terrorism even though most of those who died were officer cadets from the prison service whose bus was engulfed in flames as they were on their way to evacuate a prison. And Jewish extremists have been charged with arson attacks in the past, including one last year in the West Bank village of Duma that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents. Now that Israeli officials are pointing to politically motivated arson attacks, a new crackdown on Palestinians is expected. But Israel should be wary of linking the fires to a larger plot. With no concrete evidence to support the claim, Arabs can only accuse the Israeli government of taking advantage of the event to stir up sentiment against them.
