Over 5,000 Israelis were forced to leave their homes on Friday morning as fire threatened to engulf the North. While the fires continued to burn, many residents were able to return home on Saturday morning. The hot, dry weather is one factor in the blaze, but Arab arson is a widespread grassroots means of protesting the existence of the Jewish State by burning it down.

Every year, such arson destroys thousands of acres of farmland and forests, pollutes the air, and destroys important ecosystem, leading some to call the fires “ecoterrorism.” Dozens of homes suffered damage in the latest arson attacks, with dozens of people needing treatment for smoke inhalation, among them some 10 firefighters. It was necessary to call in IDF troops to help contain the fires and to assist in the evacuation efforts.