The Fire libel

Published: 3 December 2016

Last updated: 4 March 2024

Last week we published part of the Global Fires Watch world map which showed wildfires were burning throughout the Middle East at the same time as those in Israel (see third link following). Arson is suspected in a small number of Israel's fires yet PM Netanyahu, Naftali Bennet and others rushed to ascribe collective blame to a whole section of Israel's citizens. Jewish history shows where collective scapegoating can lead.

Will Netanyahu’s collective blame sink Israel? – Akiva Eldar – Al-Monitor 01.12.16
PM Netanyahu's collective blame strategy will punish many Israeli Arabs who had no connection to the wildfires and will only aggravate tensions between Jews and Arabs. As Jewish history shows, once collective accusations are made, the road to collective punishment by social ostracism and even by extermination becomes shorter.

Who by Fire - Gershom Gorenberg – The American Prospect 01.12.16
Israel's leaders were quick to blame Palestinians for disastrous wildfires. The real culprit is global warming, which threatens both peoples. Those who ignored or accepted Trump's climate stance and voted for him because he was supposedly 'good for Israel' were very badly mistaken.

And see: Fires ignite both incitement and cooperation in Israel November 29, 2016