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Fire disaster: PM to declare national day of mourning
Attila Somfalvi
Published: 02.12.10, 22:22
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18 Talkbacks for this article
1. Israel not ready against Hezbollah
Nitzotz ,   France   (12.02.10)
Sincere condolences, Barukh Dayan Haemet. As Hezbollah announces its readiness for a new war against Israel, if we are not ready to fight against a forest fire, what does Netanyahu believe will happen if, G-d forbid, Hezbollah fires its missiles on the North of Israel ?
2. Thank you so very much to the Nations Helping Israel!
Linda Rivera ,   New York, USA   (12.02.10)
Whenever there is a disaster in this world, little Israel is one of the first ones to help. May even more nations help Israel in her time of great need. My condolences to the victims' families. It will never be forgotten that your cherished loved ones died seeking to save lives. What greater thing can be said of a human being?
3. Netanyahu is trying to evade the issue!
We the People ,   Northern Israel   (12.02.10)
Yes, Prime Minister, first we must save lives and then mourn but this would not have been necessary if your Government and, particularly the Treasury, had given the Fire Services the budget to buy the equipment and materials to fight a fire of this nature and save lives and property! The Government has all the money in the world to give the Ultra-Orthodox everything their greedy little leaders desire like allowances to "Yeshiva Bochas" but the rest of the country, particularly the periphery and especially Haifa and the North are deprived of live saving equipment. Channel 2 News has reported that the reason it took TWO HOURS for the first fire-fighting aircraft to get to the fire was because there were no fire-fighting chemicals available for hours. If the fire had been extinguished timeously there would not have been the necessity to evacuate the prison and 40 lives would not have have been lost! Mr. Prime Minister, we the people to whom you are responsible, are tired of excuses and cover ups. We demand you call and immediate Government Inquiry with binding results not a whitewash which is so prevalent in Israel. Further, Minister of Finance Steinitz must remove those people from the Treasury who, because of their failure to transfer funds to the Fire Services, have lost so many lives! The future of the Finance Minister should also be questioned.
4. DO NOT CALLL A DAY OF MORNING...
Israeli 2   (12.02.10)
during CHANUKAH! BE STRONG and RESIGN instead, MR. N. !!! On top of that you ask the world for help????? What a leadership?
5. #3 - I agree with you 100%
Talula ,   Israel   (12.03.10)
Especially as it's not the first fire in the north. The government have given the religious so much money, maybe kow they'll see it's all pointless - praying by the wall and fasting isn't going to bring back the dead, make the rain come or put out the fires. Thinking of all my fellow countrymen in the north and hoping you all stay staff and out of harm's way,
6. # 3
Birdi ,   Israel   (12.03.10)
I agree with your entire post & hope & pray that all our northern residents remain safe & for the fires to be containned swiftly.
7. To #1: That's a given
Rachel ,   US   (12.03.10)
I'm hearing reports it took 2 hrs to respond!!! What have Bibi & Barack being doing for the past 2 years? They both know confrontation with Iran is a huge possibility whether Israel or the US attacks. And today we can't put out a forest fire without world help because we don't have fire equipment. My condolences go to the families, but heads really need to roll. This is beyond incompetence.
8. I can't believe what I'm reading
Arthur ,   USA   (12.03.10)
You people use every tragedy and blame it on the ultra Orthodox. It does not occur to you that the country also spends oodles of money on benefits for the Arab population, and that the state can't or won't collect tax money owed by Arab communities. Or that the state has been spending tons of money in security measures because of the constant threat of terror. The money going to the ultra Orthodox is peanuts compared to the money the state of Israel must spend to keep the Arab sector of the population happy and undisturbed and the Jews safe from terror. You talk about money. Do you know how much is the land you want to gift to the Arabs worth? In actual shekels? Shameful how you use the lives of those victims to spread your hatred one more time.
9. blaming
Julie ,   Israel   (12.03.10)
Please direct your anger to the murderous ARAB "Israelis" who lit thisdevestating fire and many others, here in the north and who celebrate as Israel burns. You leftists have tied the government's hands with your PC nonsense. Even now, the newspapers are not printing the fact that this is a TERRORIST act. There are no firefighting chemicals left because they were used on all the previous Arab-set fires. If you are going to blame, blame the right people. SOMETHING must be done with the traitors in our midst.
10. Fire- blame
John ,   NZ   (12.03.10)
What's wrong with you people? Is ugly blame, accusation and arguing so ingrained in your psychology you cant put it aside on this tragic occasion? To all you moaners, bleaters and whiners I say this - breath though your nose and do something useful like helping put out the fire or helping someone who is doing that - for goodness sake grow up!
11. sympathy from the west bank
sami ,   west bank   (12.03.10)
we watching the news here in the west bank this evening and have sadness for the people who have suffer from it. i hope the fire will be stop soon and i like to share my sympathy for people of israel both arab and jewish and others who have suffering from this terrible fire and lost their homes and lives. we must all put politic aside and show humanity during this tragedy. regards from palestinians of west bank ,
12. To #9
David   (12.03.10)
You are disgusting. If anything, Israeli Arabs have been effected most by this fire. Many of the villages in the way of the fire were Arab villages not to mention that the city of Haifa is half Arab. Now you go make a claim they intentionally lit their own areas on fire? Nor have I heard of a single report of anyone celebrating this tragedy. The only one who deserves any blame are idiots like you who use a tragedy like this to vent your hatred and racism against Arabs.
13. The Blame game
Eli ,   Jerusalem   (12.03.10)
#8 is so correct it could not have been said better. Of course we have people like Talula and the nameless "We the People" who like to take every opportunity to blame the religious for everything. Did religious Jews start the fire? You would think so from the venom spewed. But these same anti semites Talula and her friends would bend further than Obama to appease Arabs and give away our land. Why? Of course, because the land is ours through G-d and they can't stand the thought of that.
14. Use the yeshiva "students" to help put
jason white ,   afula,israel   (12.03.10)
out the fire. Let them do something to help the country that supports them. The whole ministry of finance should be fired and replaced with people with intelligence and hearts. Not only fired but all should lose their pensions and be required to return every agora they were paid in salary with interest.. We need to replace bibi and barak now! We should demand new elections and not reelect anyone who has ever served in the knesset previously.
15. It is being reported that the fire started simulatenously in
Jae ,   Lynn US   (12.03.10)
several differnet locations which points to coordinated arson otherwise known as arab terrorists. It would not be the frist time or the last... Quit bantering your hatered for the religious. Their situation is more the fault of the secualr establishment which has not clue whatsoever about how a true democracy is run; look at your flagship kadima party. They went berserk at the thought that the people of Israel deciding the future of israel regarding Jerusalem and Golan. You leftists are just too hypocritical for your own good. You dont need 20/20 vision to see through the bullshyt you masqurade as intelligencia and progressive liberal thought. You only agree to the majority when YOU are the majority. Hypocrates would not be proud of you my friends. Please reflect...
16. #12. This time criminal invistagation
tanya ,   tel aviv israel   (12.03.10)
will find out who is responsible for the bloody murder, let alone one and half million of the burned trees. I do not think anybody will be surprised with the results, including you, hypocrite..
17. # 11
Birdi ,   Israel   (12.03.10)
Thankyou Sami.
18. # 12
Birdi ,   Israel   (12.03.10)
Beit Oren is not an Arab village. Beit Oren has been burnt to cinders.
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