Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, brushed off concerns Wednesday about his low popularity numbers, choosing instead to highlight his party’s momentum and strategy against President Trump.
During a press briefing, a CNN reporter brought up a recent poll showing Schumer with just 17% approval — the lowest rating among current congressional leaders — and asked, “Are you concerned that you may be a liability for your party?”
“Polls come and go,” Schumer replied. “Our party is united. We’re on our front foot. We’re stepping forward and going after Trump and having real success.”
According to CNN, the poll was conducted between April 17 and April 24 and included responses from 1,678 American adults. It marked Schumer’s lowest score in CNN surveys since 2017.
{Matzav.com}
Hamas issued a provocative message through its Telegram channel, urging Palestinians to take violent action by starting fires targeting Jewish homes, farmland, and forests.
In its post, the terror group incited followers with the words: “Youth of the West Bank, youth of Jerusalem, and those inside Israel, set their cars ablaze… Gaza awaits the revenge of the free.”
On the same platform, the Jenin News Network joined the incitement campaign, publishing a call to “burn the groves near the settlements,” specifically directing their message at Palestinians in proximity to Israeli communities.
Amidst this call to violence, photos began circulating showing masked individuals igniting fields. One image posted as fires raged in central Israel depicted flames devouring a landscape with a town in the distance. The caption read: “Settlers’ homes will be ashes under the feet of the revolutionaries” and featured the hashtag “Burn settlers’ houses.”
These blazes, which erupted Wednesday morning in the Judean Hills, spread rapidly, extending through the greater Yerushalayim region as the day progressed and conditions worsened into the evening.
One particularly incendiary video urged: “O, youth of the West Bank… Let us be the flame of freedom which will not die. Let us make their night – a burning day. Let us bring back to them the nightmares of the occupation, so they know that every day is a struggle for the resistance. Set fires of freedom everywhere. We will not give in and will not give up until we burn every piece of stolen land.”
The term “Flames of the Flood” has been widely shared on social media in reference to the wildfires, deliberately invoking the Hamas-coined title for the October 7 massacre, “Flood of Al-Aqsa.”
The Twitter (X) account of “Akhbar Filastin,” which has over 112,000 followers, broadcasted a call encouraging West Bank residents to commit arson: “A call to the revolutionary youth and all the heroes of the West Bank.. Settlers’ homes and the surrounding areas are your target. Burn them with your Molotov cocktails and set fire to the grass near the settlement outposts.”
Jenin News, with an even larger audience of 320,000 followers, published a post saying: “Calls from youth to burn forests close to the raped (lands)… The (Zionist) entity is Burning! This is an opportunity for you, to increase the fires, youth of Jerusalem and the occupied interior, raise your spirits and make up your mind, their settlements, set them ablaze.”
It’s important to note that in much of Palestinian media discourse, the word “settlers” is used broadly to describe all Jewish citizens of Israel, and the term “settlements” often refers to any Israeli municipality or town.
Other posts circulating on these same channels featured graphics and slogans such as “exploit the heat of the summer and set fire to the forests of the settlers. There will be not one settler left in our land.” Another read: “let’s burn their settlements and make them a living hell for them… Don’t underestimate what you have and what you can do.”
One viral graphic bore the line: “Let the houses of the settlers become ash under the feet of the revolutionaries,” accompanied by the hashtag “Burn the Settlers’ Houses.”
A different post included a dramatic image of forest fires engulfing large areas with the caption: “For Gaza, which has never held back in its support for you: Go down there now and burn the forests and groves near the settlements!”
The campaign also extended to materials published from the Jenin refugee camp, where images of the Israeli flag engulfed in flames were released alongside the message: “set fire to the forests of the occupation and its settlements… kudos to our youth, go and burn, go and burn.”
Some channels used the moment to direct anger at the Palestinian Authority, condemning it for offering to assist Israel in handling the fires. “Heroes of the West Bank and Jerusalem – this is your day,” read one message. “Exploit these fires and make them grow larger. Gasoline and a spark can make the entity a fiery hell. The settlements and their forests are your targets.”
Amid the chaos, Fire and Rescue Commissioner Eyal Caspi elevated the national emergency readiness level to its highest alert, as crews struggled to contain multiple blazes.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has appealed to several European countries — Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, and Bulgaria — for firefighting support, though none of the aid is expected to arrive before dark.
As the fires grew in intensity and scope, the Israeli government announced that all Independence Day festivities would be canceled to prioritize safety.
Weather authorities had cautioned about the fire risk a day earlier, and the Fire and Rescue Authority had already advised postponing various events due to concerns that emergency services might not be able to protect vulnerable areas should fires erupt.
{Matzav.com}
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Israeli Air Force pilots have joined firefighting teams working to contain several conflagrations that have consumed about 5,000 acres of forest and terrain, mostly near Yerushalayim.
These efforts and weather conditions helped stabilize the situation, but the Israel Fire & Rescue Authority said in a statement on Thursday morning that its 155 teams were still working to contain the fires, in which no one was killed but which resulted in the hospitalization of 12 civilians and 17 firefighters. Thousands of residents have been evacuated from their homes in the Judean Foothills.
On Wednesday night, the IAF deployed its big guns in the fight against the fires: its two Samson airplanes, the Israeli name for the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, which has only recently been added to Israel’s firefighting arsenal.
Samsons converted into fire extinguishing aircraft have been conducting dozens of sorties since Wednesday night, the Israel Defense Forces said, dumping up to 3,960 gallons of water or fire retardant per flight. The Foreign Ministry has reached out for assistance to nearby countries, including Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy and Bulgaria, it said in a statement.
On the ground, firefighters battled flames across the country, but on Thursday morning, they still had not “gained control of the fires,” the Fire and Rescue Authority’s statement said. Three roads that had been closed on Wednesday—Roads 1, 3 and 38—were reopened on Thursday, police said.
Canada Park near Beit Shemesh has been hardest hit, according to a statement by KKL-JNF, a eco-Zionist organization dedicated to the sustainable development of Israel, and especially its forest management programs.
Several countries have already pledged to send help. Spain will dispatch two firefighting planes, while France, Romania, Croatia, and Italy have also confirmed they will send aircraft. Ukraine has now joined the list as well, said the Foreign Ministry statement.
Alongside the Samsons and another especially-fitted firefighting aircraft, Israel’s firefighting Elad squadron has 14 Air Tractor AT-802F firefighting aircraft, five Airbus H-125 helicopters, and two Airbus Helicopters H-145 helicopters. In the first hours of the fire that began on Wednesday at around noon, many of these aircraft were not able to operate due to strong winds.
Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) is investigating the fires, which started on Israel’s Memorial Day, hours before its Independence Day celebrations. Incitement calling on Palestinians to set fires circulated on social media ahead of the holiday, which coincided with dry and windy weather.
At least three people have been arrested in connection with the fires, including a man near Modi’in. Police arrested the man after reports that he was trying to set fire to some shrubbery. The man is in his 50s and lives in Umm Tuba, an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem, Ynet reported.
Two other suspects had been arrested on Wednesday, Channel 12 reported.
Ynet quoted Shmulik Friedman, commander of the Yerushalayim District Fire Department, as saying on Wednesday: “We have no idea what caused the fire, as of now we don’t know what the source is.”
The most severe blaze ignited in the Eshtaol Forest near Mesilat Zion and Neve Shalom, prompting immediate evacuations. Flames spread rapidly through the parched terrain, intensified by dry weather and gusty conditions.
“This wave of fires is a threat to human life, to communities and to Jerusalem. It’s not just the fire on the ground; this is a national threat,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a statement Wednesday night. “I held a meeting at the fire management center and instructed the teams to use all the tools at our disposal,” he added.
On Wednesday, Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced the cancellation of the annual torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl in Yerushalayim, citing public safety concerns. “I’ve just concluded a situational assessment with emergency officials,” said Regev. “There is a real danger to human life. I will not take any risks.”
Other major Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Haifa, also announced the cancellation of celebrations requiring the presence of firefighters.
Authorities declared a “Red Torch” emergency level, the highest fire-alert classification, activating national firefighting reserves, aerial reinforcements and logistical support. JNS
{Matzav.com Israel}
