Ben-Gvir blamed for Israel's lackluster wildfire response

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has been blamed for the government's lack of preparation in dealing with wildfires that have raged across West Jerusalem since Wednesday.

Tomer Loten, the former director general of the Public Security Ministry, which later became the National Security Ministry under Ben-Gvir, accused his successor of leaving Israel without aerial firefighting capabilities.

In 2022, the National Security Council and firefighting bodies made recommendations to buy helicopters for the police to battle wildfires, but were dismissed by Ben-Gvir, who alleged the aircraft would be used to shuttle around former police commissioner Kobi Shabtai. 

Lotan was quoted by Haaretz as describing Ben-Gvir's claims as "false" and being part of "childish and manufactured clashes" between the two.

He was also quoted by The Times of Israel as saying that attempting to convince Ben-Gvir of the need to upgrade Israel's firefighting capabilities "was like talking to a wall" and he was "watching the pictures of the raging fire and my blood is boiling".

"There's no clearer example of the irresponsibility and danger of appointing Ben-Gvir as minister," he added. Lotan was dismissed by Ben-Gvir when the later took office.

Sources within the Israeli police told Haaretz that the helicopters could have significantly aided in battling the fires.

The publication added that since the beginning of the year, opposition Knesset members have attempted to discuss Israel's preparedness for wildfires in the Knesset while the Israeli Climate Forum has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene an emergency meeting on the issue in March, which has still not been held.

The wildfires, which began on Wednesday, came during preparations for the celebrations of Israel's Independence Day. According to the Jewish National Fund, they have destroyed 6,000 acres of land, including the Canada and Eshtaol forests, with 10 having to be evacuated.

Several European countries, including Italy, France, Spain, Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine have announced they will send aircraft to assist in firefighting efforts.

Israeli ministers have also received criticism for their handling of the fires, with Chairman of the Fire and Air Rescue Association Dov Ganem telling Walla that he had been warning the government for 18 years about the lack of readiness to deal with large-scale wildfires.

Alongside a lack of firefighters and aircraft, in March the government cut funding to the fire service by $60 million in the yearly state budget - but record spending on the military - as it continues its devastating operations in Gaza.

Without evidence, Ben-Gvir blamed arsonists for the fire, saying that "the arsonists should be treated as arch-terrorists who tried to murder thousands of civilians," while reiterating his support for the death penalty against "terrorists".

Likewise, Yair Netanyahu, the son of Benjamin Netanyahu, sought to blame the Israeli left and Palestinian Israelis for the fires, saying "I really hope the arson was only carried out by Arabs, without any collaboration from our own people."

This was echoed by the leader of the Shas party, Aryeh Deri, who also blamed Palestinians for the fires in a social media post on X.

On Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu said that 18 people had been arrested on suspicion of arson, including one caught in the act, although police sources have said only three were detained and these were in connection with unrelated fires, according to The Times of Israel.

The accusations by his son, as well as from Ben-Gvir and Deri, were made prior to Netanyahu's own comments. 

Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog blamed the wildfires on the climate crisis which he said cannot be ignored and requires preparation for "serious and significant challenges."

On social media, claims that Palestinians began the wildfires were pushed back, with many reposting satellite images of wildfires across the region captured by NASA.