Residents of Kerem Chamami in Judea and Samaria reported an arson incident Monday evening, alleging that Arab individuals were granted an unusual permit by the IDF and security establishment to move through the area to 'process the territories,' according to reports. The claims have not been independently verified.
Residents of the Judea and Samaria community of Kerem Chamami reported Monday evening that the large fire that broke out in the area earlier in the day was an act of arson, according to a single source. Separately, the source alleged that Arab individuals had been granted unusual permits by the IDF and security establishment to move through the vicinity in order to 'process the territories.' The claims have not been independently verified, and no official comment has been received from the IDF or other authorities.
The arson allegation follows a series of reports The Zioneer published from 13:44 Jerusalem onward documenting a significant fire between the community of Marom Yehuda and the Kerem Chamami farm in Gush Etzion. Initial reports from N12 described firefighting crews responding, with later updates from multiple outlets — including Channel 14 and ynet — confirming that four firefighting aircraft had been scrambled to the scene. Incident Commander Lahav Daniel Mizrahi stated that the fire was advancing rapidly toward the farm over difficult terrain. Throughout the afternoon, no cause for the fire was reported, and no casualties occurred.
The new allegations introduce a potential cause for the fire and a controversial security dimension. The claim that Arab individuals were granted access permits has not been corroborated by any other source, and the specific terms of any such permit remain unknown. It is also unclear whether the arson and permit claims are linked.
As of 18:13 Jerusalem, the fire's current status and containment are not detailed in the reports, and independent confirmation of both allegations is pending.
8 developments
- StrongSuspected arson brush fire near Havat Aviha in northern Samaria draws four aerial firefighting planes
- DevelopingFour firefighting planes scrambled to a fire near Merom Yehuda in the Hebron area
- DevelopingTwo firefighting planes scrambled to a blaze near Alon Moreh in Samaria
- DevelopingFire reported in Gush Etzion, suspected arson
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