TEL AVIV, July 24, 2026 (WAFA) — A fire that broke out near the Havat Gilad colony, built on lands belonging to the Palestinian villages of Tell, Jit, and Far'ata southwest of Nablus, was quickly transformed by Israel's far-right from an incident awaiting a technical investigation into a political and media campaign accusing Palestinians of deliberate arson and using the event to justify calls for expanded colonization, expulsions, and harsher measures against Palestinians.
From the first hours after the fire, prominent Israeli far-right politicians, activists, journalists, and media outlets promoted claims that Palestinians had deliberately started the blaze, portraying it as a nationalist attack despite the absence of confirmed investigative findings.
As the narrative spread across social media accounts, television channels, and statements by members of the Knesset, discussion shifted away from the available evidence toward a broader discourse describing the incident as part of what supporters called "arson terrorism," linking the fire to what they claimed was the state's inability to protect Israeli colonies.
Reports circulated by right-wing figures varied significantly regarding the scale of the damage. Some claimed more than 20 colonial housing units had burned, while others raised the figure to around 30 homes and a commercial facility, with some describing the colony as having "nearly been wiped out."
Despite the inconsistencies in the reported damage, the accusations against Palestinians remained consistent.
Israeli Channel 14 published a headline referring to "suspected deliberate arson by terrorists," while journalist and activist Elhanan Groner quoted Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, as saying there was a "very reasonable suspicion" that the fire had been intentionally set. Dagan called for the perpetrators to be arrested and urged authorities to fight what he described as "arson terrorism."
As a result, public debate rapidly shifted from determining the cause of a fire that remained under investigation—even after Palestinians detained in connection with the incident were later released—to treating the event as an established nationalist attack.
Influential right-wing media personalities played a major role in reinforcing that narrative.
Television presenter Yinon Magal claimed that "Arab rioters" had started fires in multiple locations while taking advantage of strong winds, alleging that the blaze spread into the colony and forced residents to evacuate.
Although his post did not provide independent evidence that multiple fires had been deliberately set or identify those responsible, it presented the claims as established fact.
Author Gadi Taub republished Magal's account before adding on his Telegram channel that fires allegedly set by Palestinians had become routine around colonial outposts, accusing mainstream media of downplaying such incidents or searching for "innocent" explanations.
Within this discourse, the Havat Gilad fire ceased to be treated as an isolated event and was instead portrayed as part of a broader alleged pattern in which Palestinians routinely use fire to attack Israeli colonies.
Some media figures went further than repeating accusations and openly advocated violent responses.
Military correspondent Hillel Biton Rosen described the fire as part of "arson terrorism carried out by Arab rioters" and said that those "trying to burn Jewish children, women and the elderly should be killed or spend the rest of their lives in prison."
Although he later acknowledged that investigators were examining whether a burning object had been thrown from a moving vehicle, he did not present that information as an unverified investigative lead. Instead, he incorporated it directly into the terrorism narrative, blurring the distinction between confirmed facts and allegations.
A different explanation later emerged regarding the fire's origin.
The Israeli website Olam Katan reported that investigators had concluded there had been only one ignition point and that a discarded cigarette butt thrown beside the road had sparked the blaze, which later spread toward the colony.
Rather than moderating earlier accusations, this version of events itself became the target of criticism.
Activist Yigal Malka mocked the findings in a post titled "The Miracle Cigarette," questioning how a cigarette butt could have survived in an area that had been extensively burned and arguing that security cameras had not captured anyone discarding it.
While Malka did not provide evidence supporting deliberate arson, he used skepticism toward the investigation to reinforce the original accusation, presenting the issue as a choice between accepting terrorism claims or believing investigators had produced an implausible explanation.
The entry of senior Israeli politicians into the debate gave the accusations greater political weight.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the investigation to continue "until the end" and described the colonies and colonial outposts as Israel's "front line," framing the fire as a broader national security issue.
Knesset member Avihai Buaron stated that the fire had apparently started after a burning object was thrown from a Palestinian vehicle and warned that it could become a "new terrorist method" targeting colonists.
Another Knesset member, Zvi Sukkot, claimed that colonies in the area suffer from fires started by Arabs every year and called for a full investigation into the alleged arson.
According to the report, these descriptions did more than characterize the incident linguistically—they effectively determined its nature before investigators had reached final conclusions.
Several days later, the campaign assumed an even clearer political dimension when Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech visited Havat Gilad alongside officials from the Otzma Yehudit party.
She described the fire as deliberate arson and "terrorism in every sense of the word," arguing that the appropriate response should be rebuilding and expanding the colony, declaring that the answer would be "more life, more families, and more settlement."
At that point, the incident was no longer used solely to demand investigations or additional security measures but became part of a broader justification for expanding Israeli colonization.
In its most extreme form, the campaign moved beyond accusing suspected individuals and instead attributed collective responsibility to Palestinians.
Activist Ayelet Lash criticized Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation correspondent Roi Sharon for failing to describe the fire as deliberate arson, accusing him of effectively siding with "the enemy."
Activist Amihai Shilo posted a sarcastic list of wildfire safety instructions that concluded with the phrase "expel all Arabs."
A WhatsApp channel titled We Fight for Life grouped the fire together with shootings, stone-throwing, and explosive attacks before concluding that "there will be no security without expelling the enemy," later publishing another message stating, "It is impossible to live alongside an enemy."
According to the report, the discourse had by then shifted from assigning responsibility to possible suspects toward portraying Palestinians collectively as responsible based solely on their identity.
Right-wing channels also used the fire to attack Israeli institutions.
The Torah LeHima channel accused Central Command chief Avi Bluth of failing to protect the colony, arguing that the military was focused on pursuing young people from colonial outposts rather than confronting Palestinians.
Similarly, the Lohamei HaGvaot channel criticized the army after three young Israelis involved in firefighting efforts were detained, claiming that "the villages of murderers sleep peacefully" while security forces target colonists instead.
According to the report, the fire thus became a tool both for criminalizing Palestinians and delegitimizing any Israeli enforcement measures directed at colonists.
When Israeli police announced the detention of several Palestinians in connection with the fire—despite later releasing them without charges—right-wing figures presented the arrests as conclusive proof supporting their earlier accusations.
Journalist Amit Segal pointed out that police had changed the wording of their statement from suspicion of "participation in arson" to suspicion of "causing the fire."
The distinction was significant because the first formulation implied deliberate intent while the second allowed for other possibilities, including negligence or accidental causation.
However, according to the report, the revised wording received far less attention than the initial arrest announcements, while right-wing platforms continued presenting the case as already resolved.
The report says fundraising campaigns also became part of the political mobilization surrounding the fire.
Former Knesset member Michael Ben Ari appealed for donations totaling 20,000 shekels, saying the colony should be rebuilt "stronger, more beautiful and bigger."
Liran Baruch circulated donation links under headlines claiming that "terrorists burned dozens of homes."
Yoav Eliasi, known as "The Shadow," linked support for a burned woodworking factory to strengthening Israeli colonization and promoting Jewish labor in the occupied West Bank.
According to the report, donations were framed not merely as assistance for victims but as a political response intended to reinforce the colonial presence.
The report says the consequences of the campaign extended beyond online discourse and coincided with escalating violence in the occupied West Bank.
After a mosque in Khirbet al-Tuwani, south of Hebron, was set on fire and the slogans "Death to Arabs" and "Havat Gilad" were spray-painted on its walls, Israeli colonists launched a large-scale attack on the town of Tell, southwest of Nablus.
The assault was followed by confrontations and gunfire that resulted in the killing of four Palestinians from the same family and injuries to several others, including critically wounded victims, while homes and other property were also attacked.
Israeli occupation forces subsequently deployed military reinforcements to the area and closed entrances to Tal and surrounding areas of Nablus amid escalating colonist attacks elsewhere across the occupied West Bank.
The report notes that while this sequence of events does not establish direct coordination between any individual politician or activist and the subsequent violence, it illustrates how the Havat Gilad fire evolved from an incident under investigation into a catalyst for broader collective accusations against Palestinians before investigative findings had been finalized, followed by attacks on Palestinian communities, including the burning of a mosque and deadly assaults.
According to the report, analysis of the public statements shows that the fire was rapidly transformed into a political and media instrument directed against Palestinians.
It says the process began with unverified allegations that were repeatedly amplified by journalists, activists, and right-wing media until they acquired the status of accepted fact. Politicians then adopted the narrative to advocate stricter security measures, expanded colonization, and broader incitement against Palestinians.
When alternative investigative information emerged that contradicted the original allegations, the report concludes, it was largely dismissed, while later arrests—despite subsequent changes in police terminology from suspected arson to suspected involvement in causing the fire—were used to reinforce the initial accusations.
The report concludes that as the campaign moved from social media into events on the ground, including the appearance of the name "Havat Gilad" on the walls of the burned mosque in Khirbet al-Tuwani and deadly attacks on Palestinian towns, the issue evolved beyond the construction of a political narrative into a broader climate of retaliation and escalation that spread from digital platforms into reality.
M.N
