Gov’t To Prevent More Fires From Gaza Arson By Burning Entire South Of Israel

Incendiary balloons and kites from Gaza have become par for the course in Israel’s south over the last several months.

Kissufim, July 4 – Mounting damage from Palestinian balloons and kites attached to incendiary devices has prompted defense officials to take preemptive measures to forestall further destruction of farmland, nature reserves, and buildings, steps that will involve starting conflagrations to consume the remaining such locales before Palestinians can do so.

Ministry of Defense representatives unveiled a plan this morning to remove the incentive Palestinian terrorists have for sending booby-trapped or incendiary balloons and kites over the border from Gaza. The plan, scheduled to begin implementation next week, will see approximately five hundred square kilometers of Israel’s southern region burned to the ground so as to prevent it being burned down by Palestinian arsonists.

“We knew our famed ingenuity would lead to a solution,” boasted Yosi Chelmer of the Home Front Department. “To the ranks of brilliant Israeli defense innovations such as Iron Dome and the tunnel-detection system we can now add Operation Scorched Earth.”

Residents of the area expressed cautious optimism. “For months now, we’ve been urging the defense establishment and the government to address the constant threat of Palestinian eco-terrorism,” remarked Kibbutz Nirim Secretary Afifon Tavera. “The communities and enterprises of the Gaza Envelope region will have to judge with time whether this initiative produces the promised results. For the time being, we are relieved that our leaders have finally devised some way to counter the constant barrage of incendiaries.”

Incendiary balloons and kites from Gaza have become par for the course in Israel’s south over the last several months. Daily brush and forest fires number in the dozens, with firefighting teams stretched to the limit and economic damage to the area severe. Drones, snipers, and artillery fire have achieved mixed results in preventing or deterring the launching of the devices, leading to calls for more effective methods to eliminate the threat. Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman ordered the development of such a plan last month, and ministry staff announced its recommendations last week. A brief series of consultations among ministry officials and colleagues from the Ministries of Finance and Internal Security led to the adoption of Operation Scorched Earth.

“Instead of waiting for the Palestinians to get tired of this we’re going to take the initiative,” stated Lieberman. “The scale of the activity will dwarf anything the defense establishment has done since Operation Protective Edge in 2014. While it is underway some of the residents of the area will be required to evacuate, but the army has experience removing Jews from their homes in this vicinity.”

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