- Title: ISRAEL: Teenage fire suspects attend court hearing
- Date: 6th December 2010
- Summary: CARMEL MOUNTAIN, NEAR HAIFA, ISRAEL (DECEMBER 5, 2010) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTERS DROPPING WATER OVER FLAMES TIRAT HACARMEL, ISRAEL (DECEMBER 5, 2010) (REUTERS) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU ENTERING SPECIAL CABINET MEETING MINISTERS HOLDING MOMENT OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF THOSE KILLED IN FIRE (SOUNDBITE)
- Embargoed: 21st December 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVAXPKIF9KS163066YSL2IX5YEO
- Story Text: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government faced mounting criticism on Sunday (December 5) over a huge four-day forest fire that has claimed 41 lives.
Politicians and pundits called for officials to resign because they have failed to quell an inferno that has, in addition to causing casualties, scorched 12,000 acres (5,000 hectares) of woodland, destroyed millions of trees and dozens of homes.
Netanyahu convened his cabinet in Tirat Carmel, one of the fire-stricken town, where he pledged to rebuild the area "in the quickest possible way."
"I don't want delays, I don't want bureaucracy, I want to shorten the process, I want quick solutions. I want all the people to be able to return to their homes or to alternative housing arrangements until the completion of renovation and reconstruction work, (and then to move back into their homes) within a few days," Netanyahu said.
A global effort to help Israel contain the fire is underway as Germany, Switzerland and Azerbaijan are expected to join a dozen other nations in sending firefighting equipment to Israel.
Israel has chartered a Boeing 747 Supertanker from the United States. The Supertanker landed in Israel overnight Saturday to Sunday. It has has been loaded with 21,000 gallons of water and flame retardant which it is scheduled to dump on the flames on Sunday.
"We are still at the height of a huge forest fire. The fire fighters are doing a wonderful job while risking their lives. But one should understand that in this type of fire only planes can put an end to the fire. This is what we are doing night and day. We recruited over 30 aircraft from foreign countries. At noon we are expecting a huge plane, the Supertanker, which we have rented from an American company, to join the operation. I believe that through these measures we will be able to contain the fire and extinguish it," Netanyahu told his cabinet ministers.
Two teenagers suspected of starting the blaze through negligence were brought to court for a hearing on the extension of their remand on Sunday (December 5). Both were accused of having failed to extinguish a camp fire which led to the conflagration, police said.
Osama Raf, defence attorney of one of the suspects told Reuters Television his client was innocent.
"He gave a full version of events that he was at home and his friends woke him up, and then he went to look at the fire - like all the other residents of the village," said Raf.
Israel Radio said the suspects, teenage brothers aged 14 and 16 are residents of a village bordering woods in the Carmel region, where fire broke out.
The father of the teenagers, who must remain unidentified to protect the identity of the minors, said that his children were innocent.
"My children did not do anything, one was asleep, the second one says that he was at school. My children did not do anything," he told reporters.
Thirty four aircraft were criss-crossing the skies above the Carmel ridge to try to quell the fires, a spokesman for Israeli firefighters, said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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