 Image Source: Translated screenshot from a social post that was circulated ahead of Israel's Independence Day April 30, 2025 |
Let me shed some light on the terrible multi-front fires that erupted in Jerusalem and its surrounding areas.
I'll start from the end - spoiler alert - it was ARSON.
Here are a few key points you need to understand:
1. About 21% of Israel's population are Israeli Arabs, all of whom enjoy equal rights as citizens of the State of Israel.
The vast majority contribute to society, play an active role in building this amazing country, and live peacefully alongside us.
That said, there is a small, radical minority among Israeli Arabs who do not identify as Israelis.
They call themselves "Palestinians" and exploit the freedoms granted to them by their Israeli citizenship - including unrestricted movement - to harm, kill, rape, and carry out Islamist jihadist terror.
These individuals support Hamas-ISIS and other terrorist organizations.
They are like a snake inside our nation's shirt - terror cells embedded within Israel, waiting for their cue to strike.
We saw this clearly during Operation Guardian of the Walls (Shomer HaChomot), when, while Israel was defending itself from massive rocket attacks launched by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, dozens of Israeli Arabs took to the streets and carried out violent riots and lynchings against Jews in multiple cities across the country.
This violent minority caused a deep rupture in trust between Jews and Arabs - a wound that took a long time to even begin healing.
Let me be clear:
These Palestinian terrorists living among us, holding blue Israeli ID cards (identical to those held by all Israelis), do not represent the majority of Israeli Arabs - many of whom, like the rest of us, want peace and quiet, and live side by side with Jewish citizens in our shared homeland - the Jewish democratic State of Israel.
But when Hamas-ISIS and other surrounding terror organizations incite violence, they know exactly who to activate - and when.
They call on this violent minority to strike, precisely during our most sacred days:
Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) - the days we honor our fallen soldiers who gave their lives so we could live freely in our ancestral homeland.
And this week, they did just that.
It's not yet being widely discussed, and while full certainty is still pending, it appears highly likely that these Islamist jihadist radicals were behind the fires that burned through our holy city of Jerusalem and its surrounding areas - a city they claim is holy to them as well.
Map of fires 🔥 all over Israel right now, except in Palestinian territories.
Climate change is weird 🙄 pic.twitter.com/8r70TJbfpq
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) April 30, 2025
They understood the weather conditions would cause fires to spread uncontrollably - and they exploited that.
They went tree by tree, deliberately igniting flames that became an inferno, devouring vast parts of Jerusalem and itssurrounding areas.
As a result:
- Families were forced to evacuate their homes
- Mourners were unable to reach cemeteries for Memorial Day services
- Independence Day celebrations were canceled across Israel, as fire crews were deployed entirely to emergency zones
A disaster on a massive scale - exactly what they wanted.
Some of these Palestinian arson terrorists have already been caught by Israeli security forces.
Others are still being hunted.
Which brings me to my next point:
2. The Palestinians claim Jerusalem is holy to them - and then they burn it down?
They say Israel is "Palestine," that our Jewish land is theirs, that it's sacred to them - and yet they set it on fire?
Does that make any sense to you?
Who burns what they claim is most holy to them?
Who sets flames to what they say is dearest to their heart and soul... their "everything"?
I don't think so.
Please see my article You Call Jerusalem Holy – Then Fire Missiles at It?
There, I go into this absurdity at length.
Long story short:
In their sick worldview, nothing is pure except death and destruction - and certainly not the Jewish holy land they invent to be their own, to give some meaning to their otherwise pathetic lives.
Give it a read and you'll see exactly what I mean...
No matter how many times Israel is tested she always comes out stronger. Praying for everyone impacted by the fires and the first responders.
You can't destroy what God has blessed—and God has blessed Israel.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 30, 2025
3. Nationalist and political arson is terrorism. Terrorism. TERRORISM.
Just like suicide bombings, ramming attacks, and stabbings - this is an act of deliberate violence, meant to destroy lives, murder innocent civilians, and kill animals who are burned alive alongside property, vast agricultural fields, and nature itself.
And this damage isn't just material - it's deeply emotional and symbolic.
These crops were planted, nurtured, and cared for with love by Israeli farmers.
Setting them ablaze is an attack not only on life - but on the land, the spirit, and the people who build and preserve this country.
This arson attack is also an intentional environmental catastrophe, in a country where we care deeply about our natural resources, and our shared role as stewards of Planet Earth.
It is meant to spread fear and chaos and destabilize Israel from within.
It must be treated exactly as such.
Those caught in the act should be immediately and fully neutralized on the spot.
If captured later, their punishment must include multiple life sentences in maximum-security prison - with full revocation of citizenship if the perpetrator is an Israeli citizen who committed this vile act of terror.
This is deadly.
This costs lives.
Only through force and severe punishment can deterrence be restored — and maintained.
And you think these Islamist terrorists only want to set Israel on fire?
Think again.
They're after a total, global arson of the West — and the Jews are the ones shielding the free world from going up in flames.
Our existence here, in Israel - our ancestral homeland - is unshakable.
The fire burning within us is stronger than any flame ignited by hate.
We are one ancient olive tree - rooted, immovable, and forever growing.
On that note:
AM ISRAEL CHAI.
Mazal Tov, our beloved State of Israel!
Support my work: buy me a coffee link. L'chaim!
Tzlil Berko is an experienced security consultant and entrepreneur. She is also an avid writer of poetry, song lyrics, short stories, scripts, and more. Tzlil has played a major role in conceiving and writing with her parents, Drs. Anat and Reuven Berko, a TV psychological thriller and a family melodrama that draws on Dr. Anat Berko's books and the family's remarkable personal story. She is currently completing her thesis on the potential relationship and influence between terrorism and the Metaverse.
Follow Tzlil on Substack and on X @BerkoTzlil
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