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| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opens the weekly cabinet meeting in Tirat Carmel near the northern city of Haifa on December 5, 2010. Despite fires sweeping hills around Haifa for a fourth day, hopes were high that the arrival of a US supertanker would finally tip the balance. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images) |
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December 05, 2010 (KATAKAMI / PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE) — Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at the start of the special Cabinet meeting today in Tirat Hacarmel:
“First, I would like to say that our hearts go out to the families who are laying to rest their loved ones. The entire nation identifies with your pain and with the heroism of those who perished. Today, the Cabinet is meeting in Tirat Hacarmel in order to discuss providing assistance to the citizens who were evacuated from their homes and whose homes were destroyed in the massive wildfire. We must help the evacuees, rebuild their homes and rehabilitate the infrastructures and do so as quickly as possible. I spoke with the ministers before the meeting and it is important to say this here and now: I do not want delays. I do not want bureaucracy. I want processes to be shortened. I want quick solutions. I want all of the people – within days – to be able to return to their homes or to alternative housing, until the reconstruction work is finished.
Today, we will also launch the action that will lead to a plan to rehabilitate the Carmel forests. On this issue, I would like to thank the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Nature and Parks Authority, and the Jewish National Fund. I know that you are doing much on this matter, especially now. We are still in the midst of a massive forest fire. The firefighters are doing holy work but it must be understood that this kind of wildfire can only be defeated and extinguished from the air. On this we have been working day and night. We have mobilized over 30 aircraft from the nations of the world. Today, a gigantic “Supertanker” plane that we rented from an American company is due to go into action. I believe that with these tools, it will be possible to contain and extinguish the fire.
It must be understood that massive forest fires are fundamentally different from routine fires. The only way to deal with these wildfires is to integrate not only ground forces but aerial forces as well, local and international alike. Thus the major powers have acted. In a massive wildfire in California a few years ago, the US received assistance from eight countries; it neither hesitated nor was ashamed to request this assistance, including from countries from which we have made similar requests. In last summer’s massive wildfire in Russia, Russia neither hesitated nor was ashamed to request assistance from Ukraine and from other countries. We also did not hesitate, nor were we ashamed, in requesting such assistance. This is what we did and it has led to results. We will take control of, contain and – in the end – extinguish the fire.
An additional subject is the establishment of a local aerial firefighting force. Even if we had such a force, and we are working on it, it will not always free us of the need to mobilize international support, but it would give us the possibility of bringing an aerial ‘cup of water’ to fires.
The issue of closing the gaps in the conventional, ground-based, not aerial, firefighting network is an important issue. The Government has begun to deal with this issue, which has demanded a solution for 62 years. We have started to deal with it. We have added budgets. We are promoting changes but this issue has always been separate from that of massive brushfires.
I would like to take this opportunity to again thank the firefighters, police, soldiers, MDA and ZAKA personnel, the municipality employees, the voluntary organizations and Israelis who have shown exemplary conduct. There has been a general mobilization of the entire nation in a display of mutual responsibility at this crucial time.
I would like to also take this opportunity to thank the heads of state and government that have extended important assistance to the State of Israel at this time. I would like to thank Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and the people at his ministry, as well as National Security Council Chairman Uzi Arad and his people, for working day and night to create links, clarify the information and put me and the Government in contact with these people so that they could help us put out the Carmel fire.” (*)
