They could have closed dangerous roads, evacuated by helicopter, etc

So true. Every word in this article is the absolute truth. In Japan the parties responsible would have comitted harakiri, (long before an investigative comission would find them so). In US or Britain they would have resigned & shut up. All our ministers sound like lame 3rd graders with excuses for not doing their homework. I propose Ron Ben Yishai for prime MInister!!!!

The author is a bit to hyperbolic. The fire in the north could "lead to Israel’s national collapse". Not a chance. It is how we often learn - tragedies. Israel's firefighting force will become ever more stronger because of this tragedy. It will ultimately strengthen Israel, not weaken it. The author's reference to America and Katrina is also WAY off and wholly exaggerated.

Please support Israel in this time, and always!, its our ONLY motherland and the only country in the world that can help us jews around the globe (remember Entebbe, Ethiopia, Russia and so on!), if Israel firefighters were not ready for this one, they will be ready next time (hopefully there will be no next time)...and by the way, stop your criticism on the haredim, we, the jewish people, need to be united no matter what, dont give the anisemitic any reason for joy....we can all use their prays!

just like Tsunami, and Paly explosions, God angry of using such green places for bad things, expect more catastrophic punishment from GOD, stop crimes and bad actions that make GOD angry

mr. craczek from maryland, even i as a muslim , iranian, living in the usa can see through your anti semitic rants. believe me, many empires went down while the jews and now the jewish nation in israel will never go down. many have gone down but not these jews. something tells me that you are not only an antisemite, but a total fool. read your bible, sir. not replacement theology. no one is impressed with your talent for spelling here or for words or your good command of the english language. we are focused here on your idiotic comments, hateful propaganda and basically a total hate for jews in general. i have read your posts before and they all sound the same. can you please write something that is intelligent or different. you are sounding like a broken cd or record here and everywhere. not much to offer. not much intelligence and most definitaly not much brains. doesn't maryland have schools, libraries and universities to educate someone like you or do we call you, as americans do, white trash. hameed aboughaze, iranian, usa

write this article two weeks ago or after the second Lebanon war i freely admit i have not got 20/20 vision hindsigt

#8 Marcella, You are right on target like usual. There is a herd of rampaging elephants in the room and we dance around them. We fear dealing with the obvious truth. The obvious truth is that Israel harboring hostile Arabs is the real cause of this fire and many other such emergencies. We can't hide our heads in the sand any longer. The issue grows more and more serious all the time.

How very true. The tobaggon run is being run by the people running this country into the ground. They are only interested in looting its treasury, keeping in power and paying for that by enriching, beyond imagination, the 18 or so families that own more than 50% of its wealth........

You call them "Rampaging elephants". Quite appropriate. The proverbial single "elephant in the room" would not reflect the real situation at all. Israelis will need to break that PC wall imposed by authorities and the media and begin to at least discuss the issue, using delicate language if necessary to avoid the usual charges of racism and incitement. But that wall of fear, political correctness, official censorship, and self-censorship needs to be breached. There is too much at stake to remain silent anymore. Geert Wilders is in Israel to lend support to MK Aryeh Eldad's Jordan is Palestine conference. The full text of his speech is on Andrew Bostom's website. And thank you, Chaim, for your straightforward talkbacks and for focusing on solutions. They are very needed. Please keep on posting those comments.

I was in Israel and I came across an Israeli firemen next to a fire truck. I asked the fire men was that from a museum and he said NO. I was so embarrassed yet at the same time shocked that a country would give its firemen such obsolete equipment that looked like it came from a 50's museum.