The trees in Israel are half or 1/3 the size (or even smaller) than trees in the west coast of America and Canada, where forest fires can burn for weeks or more and consume an area the size of Israel. The fire here in Israel was relatively small compared to California or British Columbia, the mountains mere anthills compared to the Rockies or the Sierra Madres. Thus, North American fires can be 2 or 3 times more powerful compared to the same area in Israel. There's much more combustible material, the terrain is much worse, and extinguishing those fires can be almost impossible at times. We were lucky in that the Carmel area has lots of roads, is not very high, and the location was right beside a large body of water with the wind coming from the land - so that the seas were not rough and the water bombers could land and take off within seconds. Had the winds been from the west, the sea waves might have been so high to keep the amphibious planes from landing and loading up with water, meaning fewer sorties and longer to put out the fire.

Netanyahu is spinning. In BC, the fires are not nearly so small. Not even in LA are most so small. In Wyoming and Yellowstone and Montana and Washington and Oregon and even in Northern California, 10,000 acres is almost always the first day, the fires then expand to 100,000 acres or multiples. Utah had a half million acres burn two summers ago. Israel got a lot of help is how this relatively small fire was contained in such a short period of time. And the Santa Ana Winds were not blowing.

Bibi's govt set 2012 deadline for forest service. They added 100 million from empty coffers to fight fires from kadima. A joke? A joke is kadima bringing in dan halutz last week. Halutz who the first day of the war was working on his bank account. A joke is kadima leaving gaza for iran. Because of livni and kadima hamas copied hezbollah using long range rockets. Bibi called the war of 2006 right to send in troops and destroy instead of olmert and livni being scared and dripping soldiers in. What about the deterrence lost because of that war. We were humiliated and you call this is a joke. In five years they will still be bragging about defeating israel in the 2006 war. They brag about it all the time but they won't be talking about this fire. Hamas copied hezbollah bunkers and long range rockets from hezbollah. Livni and kadima will sell israel out to the un. Get ready for israel to be split in half. Kadima offered saudi arabia control of western wall and offered them land from west bank to gaza splitting israel in half. I give up now we can look to dan halutz to be the next minister of defense and PM livni. I am out of here. Scared to death of them. They already left gaza to iran and lost israel's first war ever. I will never forget the fact that the voters allowed kadima to lose a war to hezbollah. Bibi didn't destroy israel kadima did.

to compare the Carmel fire with forest fires in CA, Canada and Russia is idiotic. The forest fires in those countries spread over areas twice the size the state of Israel. The Carmel firs is a very small fire in those countries which usually are put out immediately by local fire fighters. this guy is just bad news, the money he just spent on this supertanker for one or two sorties could have bought several fire fighter planes. Let’s hope the Israelis get smarter sooner rather than later and get rid of him.

How is a "jewish ego" different from an ego of a non-Jew ? For a man, who was hands on this disaster from the start, including moblizing international help and coordinating the actions, who do you think you are to pass judgemen on Natanyahu or on Israel in general ? For all the assistance to many countries in the world, Israel asked for assisance this time and recieved it...What is really bothering you, Rose ?

Scores of people have been left dead or injured from the fire, and the most Netanyahu come up with is that Israel put out the fire quicker than other countries. But before this, the government was scrambling to figure out what the PR effect of the fire was going to be. Bibi should know of all people what the loss of loved ones in the line of duty feels like, and he should tone down soaring rhetoric accordingly. I mean, my goodness, he's beginning to sound like Obama, and one Obama is quite enough already.

There was something really wrong with Katrina, no doubt. We are most thankful for the aid that we recieved from other countries and for US general Honore who came in with his line of tanks. It was like he broke through a wall. Without these it could/would have been a whole lot worse.

Your PM pulling the big one in front of your face (what I'm trying to point out) talking to you like to a bunch of idiots and what I get in return, a spelling lesson :) ,...

The audacity of this pathetic little furniture salesman proves that accountability proper governing procedures or long term infrastructure procedures is not in the scope of activities let alone having some form of human behavior nothing but pure rhetoric and no backbone to back it up. Every year the chief auditor publishes a thick book that no one implements. We are doomed unless we kick them all out of office and reform the whole system or we might end up in a desert…

Avi ; You have no reason to leash out @ Bibi the way you did...No Livni,Olmert or any other previous heads of State did any long term infrastructure procedures at all !! And talking about "human behaviour", Bibi could put in his small pocket all of the previous heads of state including Shimon Peretz....You and other letists, just read the headlines of articles and don't even care to follow the trail of th events unfolded under Bibi's leadership during this horible disaster.

I'm not defending Katrina screw up but you're comparing a little fart with nuclear blast Katrina Hurricane energy was an equivalent (approx) of 400 (plus) of 20 megaton nuclear bombs. (20 megatons bomb = 1540 Hiroshima bombs) http://www.hurricanekatrina.com/