As fires raged in central Israel in late April, many Palestinians celebrated, brazenly demanded more fires, and called for Israeli homes to be reduced to "ashes."
All this happened on the day Israelis commemorated fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism and prepared to celebrate Independence Day.
"We ask God to protect our people and land. May these fires confuse the [Israeli] occupiers and their embattled settlers," wrote Palestinian social media user Hana Barghouti.
"In the name of Allah," another user, Umm Ibrahim, who posted images from of the blazes, wrote: "the Avenger, the Almighty."
Israeli authorities said that several Palestinians had been arrested on suspicion of setting the giant wildfires. This deliberate "ecocide" against nature on the land they claim to be fighting for shows that the Palestinians never truly cared about the land; they just want to seize it and kill as many Jews as possible. Will "green" groups denounce the Palestinians for this crime against nature? Do not hold your breath.
The Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas praised the fires, called them "a soldier from God," and urged Palestinians to start more fires around Israel, writing on Telegram social media:
"Burn whatever you can of groves, forests, and settler homes. [Palestinian] Youth of the West Bank, youth of Jerusalem, and those inside Israel, set their cars ablaze."
A Palestinian group, Jenin News Network, called on Palestinians to "burn the groves near the settlements." The group posted a photo of a masked man setting fire to a field as a block of wood burned in the background. "Settlers' homes," ran the text, "will be reduced to ashes under the feet of the revolutionaries."
Another Palestinian media group, Jenin News, posted:
"Heroes of the West Bank and Jerusalem, today is your day. Take advantage of these fires and make them spread further. Gasoline and a spark are enough to turn the [Israeli] entity into a hellfire. Its settlements and forests are your target. Say 'Allahu Akbar!' (God is greatest), men of God, across all parts of the land."
Many Palestinians describe Jews living in Israel as "settlers." They do not distinguish between a Jew living in Israel and a Jew living in a settlement in the West Bank. For these Palestinians, Israel is one big settlement that needs to be exterminated.
Palestinian social media influencer Khaled Safi wrote to his 322,000 followers on X:
"Fires have devoured 19,000 dunams of land near Jerusalem, which increased my confidence that the [Israeli] entity's demise is much easier than we think."
In another post on X, Safi posted a photo of Israelis fleeing the wildfire.:
"For your safety, it is recommended that you head west to Haifa, then to the port, and then to your home countries!"
Palestinian human rights activist Bassem Eid accused Palestinians of starting the fires intentionally:
"As Israel is battling major fires throughout the country, some of which were started intentionally, Palestinian terrorists are posting on social media celebrating and calling for people to set fires to Israeli towns, forests, and vehicles. These fires put both Israelis and Palestinians at risk and are causing severe damage to the land these terrorists claim to be fighting for. These people are not pro-Palestinians; they are pro-terrorism against Jews."
These are the same Palestinians who earlier this year celebrated and gloated as the Los Angeles fires raged. As far as many Palestinians are concerned, the US is also their enemy based on its longtime support for Israel.
Every time Israel faces a disaster or a Jew is murdered in a terror attack, Palestinians have a custom of celebrating.
In April 2024, as Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, Palestinians poured out into the streets to celebrate. Even though some of the missiles fell in Palestinian areas in the West Bank, the celebrations did not even slow down.
The largest celebration took place on October 7, 2023, when, accompanied by 5,000 rockets and missiles launched into Israel, approximately 6,000 Hamas terrorists and "ordinary" Palestinians invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip and murdered more than 1,200 Israelis. Thousands of Palestinians turned out onto the streets of the Gaza Strip to celebrate the massacre and spit on the kidnapped Israeli men and women as they were being dragged to captivity in Gaza's tunnels.
When Palestinian terrorists carried out suicide bombings and stabbing attacks in Israel over the past three decades, similar celebrations always took place.
The Palestinians' celebrations of the recent wildfires in Israel are yet another indication of their intense loathing of Israel and Jews.
Decades of anti-Israel propaganda by Palestinian leaders and media outlets are directly responsible for this hatred. For that reason, any talk about a peace process with the Palestinians has unfortunately become noting but a sick joke.
Palestinians are far more interested in murdering Jews and setting Israel on fire than they are in "coexisting." They do not want Israel "coexisting" on even one millimeter of the Jews' own historical homeland.
The world needs to realize that the Palestinians have raised a whole generation that worships destruction and death for the Jews -- and even for themselves -- far more than a better and prosperous life.
Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. His work is made possible through the generous donation of a couple of donors who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.
Feigue Cieplinski