A leader of Israeli settlers said that the fires raging in Israel, which officials partly attribute to arsonists, are really divine punishment for the government’s plans to uproot settlements.
Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, of the settler community of Elon Moreh, made the controversial assertion about the 250 fires recorded in recent days in Israel, in a pamphlet published Thursday, the news site Srugim reported.
Levanon wrote: “Strong winds usually carry rain but now all is dry and flammable. It is G-d’s hand that does it. The Israeli government is delaying the approval of the law for regulation,” he added in reference to a bill designed to legalize Amona and other West Bank outposts deemed illegal.
“Until the disgrace of the threat of eviction is lifted from Amona, Ofra and elsewhere, no rain will fall,” he wrote.
View of a street and caravan homes at the Amona Jewish outpost in the West Bank, on July 28, 2016. (Hadas Parush/FLASH90)
Is our work important to you?
Do you rely on The Times of Israel for accurate and insightful news on Israel and the Jewish world? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this